Reunion
by JamesMFan
Summary: Spuffy, naturally. Set 2 years after "The Girl In Question". When some demons in L.A get hold of a drug that makes them stronger, faster and harder to kill - how will Buffy, Spike and the others deal with them? And are W&H involved?
1. Reunion

**A/N: This is set after 2 years after the events of "The Girl in Question" (Basically because that's when I started writing it) so the big NFA battle isn't mentioned and there are a few details that are changed. Oh, and the title…I never said I was original : ) **

Reunion

Buffy had never liked flying in airplanes so she was relieved to say the least when her plane finally touched down at LAX airport. After the sizzling temperatures of Rome Los Angeles paled in comparison. She had not been back to America for two years and Buffy could not decide whether she had missed it or not. As she made her way through the super-tight airport security she felt jet-lagged and exhausted. It was saying something for a Slayer to feel exhausted. Dawn on the other hand was still buzzing with energy even after a flight that seemed to go on for eternity. Buffy had thought at one point that the plane had been pulled into some time portal where things moved incredibly slowly, either that or they just kept going around and around in circles due to some demonic whirlpool in the sky.

As Dawn jabbered on about being back in America and how she missed Rico, her new boyfriend back home in Italy, Buffy's mind switched to business. Just because there were now hundreds of Slayers it did not mean that her work was done – far from it. Though most of her work now consisted of setting up the new council, run by her and her friends, she also regularly checked on newly called Slayers.

However, on this particular trip she was not here for either of those responsibilities. She was here to bring down a much bigger threat. One that she had to warn a certain vampire with a soul about. Sure, she could have called Angel on the phone but these demons were tricky and Buffy knew he would need help. Besides, she liked surprising him. He got this funny look on his face – the one where his eyes widened and his jaw went slack like a cartoon character. It made Buffy smile just thinking about it.

"Hey, what's the funny?" Dawn asked looking suspiciously all grown up nowadays.

It still amazed Buffy when she looked at her sister and saw how much she had changed. Dawn was now a confident, intelligent young woman. With a tan that most girls would die for. Her long dark hair was wavy now and had blond highlights in places; she strode through the airport in her high boots, dark blue jeans, suede belt and pinstripe shirt.

Buffy shook her head at her sister indicating that it was nothing important. They picked their luggage up from the baggage claim and for a couple of women they packed surprising light – each of them had just one medium sized sports bag. They didn't intend to stay long. Just long enough to beat these demons down.

The Kraals were a group of lower-level demons with upper-level demon aspirations. Normally, this would have just been a run-of-the-mill 'demon's getting too big of for their boots' deal if the Kraal's didn't have the added bonus of a new wonder drug that gave them one hell of a power boost. The drug was called 'Speed Beads', which Dawn had giggled at incessantly. Basically the drug made them super strong, super fast and super un-killable at least until it wore off. The Kraal had a desire to rule L.A and, of course, kill and/or enslave all of the human occupants. Now, it may be that Angel and Co weren't even aware of the problem yet because the Kraal were good at being secretive, at not making too big of a dent before they had to. The only reason Buffy had found out about them was because some of these 'Speed Beads' had made their way to Rome where the various demon riff-raff were using them to get one up on the new Slayer that had taken up residence in their city. Buffy had bashed their brains in, of course. But it had been tough for a while and certainly not the easiest fight in her life.

It would be harder here, though. Considering this was where the Kraal's were based and there were, by all accounts, a _lot _of them. Or so the demon she had promised to torture had told her when she had asked where the drugs had come from.

On a wider scale Buffy had Giles using all of the council's resources to block off all further shipments of the drugs and the call had been put out to all Slayer's to watch out for them and report any sightings. Demons were strong enough as it were they _really_ didn't need the help of a drug.

Buffy and Dawn vacated the airport and got into a cab telling the driver to take them to offices of Wolfram & Hart. She cringed inwardly as she had to say it. Buffy did not approve of Angel's taking over of the evil law firm and her opinion had not changed in that respect. However, her feelings had to be put aside on this manner. The Kraal's were too big of a threat for anyone but Buffy to be sent to help.

She didn't know if she was welcome but, frankly, she didn't care. Sure, it would be a more pleasant visit if Angel worked with her in a civil manner but if he didn't she would just have to work with him in an uncivil manner.

Buffy sighed as she settled back against the seat and watched the sights go past. A long time ago Buffy had lived in L.A and she had thought it was _the_ best place in the whole world to live in. At least until she found out about demons, vampires and her abilities to slay them.

It took them about twenty minutes to arrive outside of the huge law firm building and Buffy felt like there should an ominous music key, like 'dum dum duuum!'. Instead Buffy and Dawn just got out of the cab paid the driver his money and started walking towards the building. They got to the door and Buffy stopped, making Dawn turn and stop too.

"Are you...nervous?" She asked softly.

Buffy shook her head "Not nervous. I just have this weird feeling that...that this is gonna be one of those visits that irreconcilably changes my life. Is that stupid?"

Dawn smiled "Nope. Usually any visits to or from Angel result in much grief/anger/intense smoochies between you. So, you're probably right"

"Thankyou ever so" Buffy rolled her eyes but grinned as she pulled the door open and strolled into the foyer.

The Slayer walked in a couple of steps as she took in the large white interior; the place looked a lot bigger inside than it even had outside. There were sharp lines everywhere, black marble flooring, white paint everywhere, and cold metal staircases. It was all very now, very hip, very minimalist. It was the kind of place every business aspired to look like, yet to Buffy it was all too cold, too clean, as if a lot of polishing up had been done to get rid of the stains. With a place like Wolfram and Hart, all she had heard about it, she was betting there were a lot of stains.

The Slayer felt the hairs stand up on the back of her neck just by standing in this huge complex. It was a law firm but there was a lot more to it then that, there were _things_ here that weren't only evil and unnatural they were so powerful that everything told her to prepare for an attack. Her fists balled at her sides and it took everything she had not to get paranoid and lash out at the people all bustling about – all looked so normal, so human...or at least as normal and human as lawyers could ever look. In their sharp suits and slicked hair they were just _too_ normal.

She took a few more slow steps into the _huge_ place and she heard talking, phones ringing, a few laughs, coughing, and shouting...all very normal sounds for a place of work. It was a good facade, if Buffy had not had her supernatural senses she would have sworn it was just a normal, if very expensive, law firm.

Dawn let out an impressed whistle "Kinda makes you almost understand the whole 'evil deal' thing that Angel did, huh?"

"If you say so" Buffy murmured.

"Oh, come on. The place is cool, you have to admit that"

"Something here just isn't right. It's...creepy" Buffy hefted her bag up onto her shoulder better and then looked towards the elevator "Let's go"

Dawn followed her "We're not gonna call up and warn him?"

Buffy turned back to her sister and gave her a grin "Not really my style"

"Ah, the big entrance. So cool! I've never had one of those"

"Trust me," Buffy stepped into the elevator with her sister "you never get tired of them"

The doors slid closed and the Summers' women rode the elevator up, although in Buffy's opinion a downward ride would have been more appropriate for where they were going. As they moved up floor-to-floor the elevator was filled with business suit types and Buffy felt way too casual in what she was wearing. She felt like she stood out in her beige hipster pants, brown boots and white mesh shirt that was so see-through she had to wear a white camisole vest underneath it. Her hair was loose and she had made extra effort with her make-up because, hey, Angel was still her ex and she didn't want him to forget how good she _could_ look. Especially since he always looked effortlessly _fine_. So unfair.

The next floor was their floor.

"Lights. Camera" Buffy said as the doors slid open "Action"

A flying demon slammed into the elevator between Dawn and Buffy, her sister let out a scream of surprise. Buffy reacted without hesitation she used her hefty bag to swing down in an arc and smash in the face of the scaly green thing. It shrieked and grabbed her bag throwing it out of the elevator before using both of it's clawed feet to kick into her abdomen and send her sprawling into the corridor onto the floor. She heard the sounds of fights behind her but could not look because the demon was on her again flicking out it's long, slimy tongue to suck out her eye. _Eww_ was Buffy's only thought before she grabbed the tongue in her hand and ripped it out of the mouth. Blood, red blood, splurted out of the mouth onto Buffy's white shirt and half of her face. The Slayer punched the screeching demon in the face but its heavy weight still did not fall off of her.

Dawn wrapped the strap of her bag around the demon's neck and pulled it off a little. Enough for Buffy to roll out of the way, stand, and kick in the side of the demon's skull with her boot. The demon fell limp to the ground with Dawn's bag still around its neck.

Buffy heard Dawn call out but she was already turning around and grabbed the flying lizard demon by the shoulders and using it's own momentum to throw it into the wall. It hit with a thud and the Slayer grabbed it around the neck and slammed its face into the wall again. Without looking behind her she kicked her foot back and struck gold when the heel of her boot landed in the neck of the sneaky demon behind her. The demon she had pinned to the wall lashed out with its claw hands behind itself and managed to slash Buffy across the ribs ripped her clothes and her skin. She let out a wince and lost her hold for a second but it was enough for the demon to wiggle free and backhand her across the face, leaving shallow claw furrows across her cheek.

The Slayer grabbed its hand and snapped its wrist like a twig making it scream like a baby. She then elbowed it in the face and whirled it around throwing it into the other lizard demon behind her that had been trying to sneak up on her again. The two demons collided bone-crushingly hard and fell in a heap on the floor.

Buffy saw another demon running towards her but had enough time to register other people fighting, flashes of axes and battle cries as things got ugly. Before she could determine where Angel was, if he was here at all, the demon was upon her. She punched it in the face and then shoved it back giving herself enough room to land a wicked snap kick to it's chin driving it's head upwards and she heard the satisfying pop of it's spinal column.

The demon slumped to the ground and another one jumped over its body into her. Buffy hit the floor on her back and groaned at the ache that ran up her back. She could hear Dawn fighting and prayed she'd be all right and that someone was helping her. Buffy had to first take care of herself though.

She grabbed the jaw of the demon and tried to avoid the tongue thing again. Buffy head butted it and the demon swayed but did not fall. She hefted her foot up to kick it in the abdomen but before she did it the demon's claws dug deeply into her arm and it seemed to be trying to rip her limbs off. If she kicked it off now there was a good chance her arms would go along for the ride too.

So, instead she head butted it again and again until it's eyes went dazed then she punched it and ripped it's claws out of her arm painfully eliciting a moan and wince of pain on both occasions that she had to do it. Buffy kicked it hard in the abdomen and it went flying into the air and out of her sight.

She took a moment then flipped herself up and spun around once she heard the familiar sound of an axe whistling through the air.

A dark figure spun around to face her at the same time and swung its axe down towards her head at lightening speed.

Buffy had only a second to react so she whipped her arms up and caught it in just the last millisecond. Her hands gripped tight on the metal handle as she pushed against the immense strength of her opponent. The blade of the axe was a centimeter from her face and she found when she blinked that her eyelashes brushed along its blade.

She looked up to face her attacker and her heart stopped.

_No._

_That...that...can't..._

_Not that. It's not even...possible._

Buffy's eyes skated over the face, _that_ face, and her whole body felt aflame by disbelief and a strange...empty feeling.

_It. Can't. Be._

But it was. It was. Somehow.

_He can't be standing here...it's a lie._

But it wasn't. She knew that even as she thought it. Her mind, her body, her heart...just knew.

The ice blue eyes looked back at her with equal shock. The pressure on the axe was not released, from either of them. The two of them just stood there in perfect denial and absolute bewilderment. It could have been seconds or minutes or hours that passed for all she knew but still they did not move. She knew one of them would have to say something or hit the other one to break them out of the spell. So, she did both.

"You bastard" Buffy said matter-of-factly before landing an excellent right hook to the vampire's face.

Spike crashed to the floor on his ass taking the axe with him.

**A/N: So, whaddya think?**


	2. Better than expected

**A/N: Here we are again, thanks for the feedback - **

Spike knew that if she ever found out she'd be pissed as hell. Others might have expected her to be overjoyed, disbelieving, or poignant but Spike knew her best and knew that she would be pissed. _Still got the best right hook ever to have graced my face_ Spike thought to himself proudly _that's my girl._

Buffy looked down on him without an expression on her face but he had seen the hurt in her eyes when they had stood face to face with only a lethal weapon between them. She wouldn't understand why he hadn't told her. If he was truthful even he didn't fully understand it. He just knew that he had too. For a while he had to be by himself, to live by himself without being dependent on her, on seeing her everyday. Spike had to relearn how to become his own man again.

Looking at her now, though, he could not believe he had survived this long without seeing her. Without even being in the same country as her. It had been torture but the pain had grown to an ache as the months had past. Now, though, it all came rushing back to him. That feeling that she could make his heart beat just by looking at him.

The expression she was looking at him with now broke his already fragile heart. There she stood with her golden hair long and loose, her face and clothes covered in blood and her shirt ripped. Buffy's face was cut with three long slashes from clawed hands. Her tanned skin was torn open and split. A trickle of demon's blood ran down from her forehead, past her eye, all the way down to her chin where it dropped onto the carpet by his foot. Even like this she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

Buffy's blue/green eyes locked on his and she shook her head almost imperceptibly but he caught it.

Spike opened and closed his mouth trying to think of the right thing to say...or anything at all but for the first time in his life William the Bloody could not think of the words.

Then he noticed movement out of the corner of his eyes and turned towards it, his eyes widening as he turned back to the Slayer.

"Buffy!" He yelled in warning at the same time trying to scrabble up.

She turned but it was a fraction too late and the lizard demon careened into her with the speed of a freight train. In less then a second Buffy had been pushed out of his line of vision and he jumped up and turned his head rapidly looking for her. He found her pinned to the wall with three lizard demons working on her at once.

Spike ran towards her and as he closed the distance he saw his Slayer fighting with the same intense ferocity that he had always loved about her. She took down two of the lizards with a roundhouse kick to one that sent it flying into its mate. Spike jumped the other one she was fighting from behind and rode it's body down to the floor leaving Buffy to deal with the two who were climbing up from the floor again.

The vampire morphed faces and picked his demon up as he stood then rammed it's face into the wall three times hard as he could. The demon weakly tried to lash out at him but Spike caught it's wrists and tore it's clawed hand off. Then he finished it off by punching his hand into the demon's back and ripping out its spine. He let the demon fall to the floor in a heap and whirled around striking another approaching demon in the face with the spine he had acquired from one of it's species. Strips of skin were ripped from the demon's face by the column of bone. Spike decided that spines made very good weapons. He kicked the injured demon in the face so hard that he squashed its face into the back of its head.

The demons kept on coming and Spike wondered how many of them wanted Angel and Co dead. They had started off the morning as they did every other but then these guy's had busted in with the intention to assassinate the head of Wolfram and Hart.

Now, Spike found himself in the middle of the large corridor that led to Angel's office with his back pressed against the back of Buffy Summers' and a pressing urge to have his axe back as demons surrounded them in a circle. Angel, Gunn and Wesley were picking off people from the outside and working their way towards the Slayer and the vampire but they would not get there in time if the demons all decided to rush them. And, of course, they did.

Spike braced himself and let out a war cry as they all rushed towards them. Spike lashed out with fists and feet kicking and hitting as hard and as fast as he could. Trying to cause us much damage as possible with the least amount of time taken.

Blood ran into his eyes from cut's that had been inflicted on his head from the demon's vicious claws. Even through his hazed vision he saw demons flying backwards through the air as Angel pulled them away and killed them. He heard a shotgun going off quickly and with precision as Wesley blew the sucker's away. In a matter of seconds, however, the sheer volume of demon's overwhelmed them and Spike was kicked to the floor taking Buffy with him.

The lizard things all poured on top of them like some swarm of cockroaches except these cockroaches were deadly as well as gross. Spike landed on top of Buffy on his back, crushing himself into her, he tried to roll off of the Slayer but the demons were ripping at his clothes and skin. He felt a burning pain and looked down.

"Slayer! Slayer! Kill! Kill!" Some of the demons were chanting.

So, it seemed these guys weren't too keen on Slayers either. Spike didn't have to ponder how they knew she was a Slayer, any demon or decent supernatural person could tell. Slayer's just had _something_. In Spike's case he could always tell because of the scent of their blood but for each demon it was different.

So, when Spike looked down and saw a demon had punched its hand through his stomach, all the way through him, in an attempt to get to Buffy he wasn't that surprised. Slayers were highly sort after prizes in the demon world, always had been. Still, he had pride enough to be insulted that he was just something in the way of their quest for Slayer blood.

"Kill the Slayer? Tsk tsk," Spike shook his head as he clamped his hands down onto the demon's arm and twisted so hard that it's muscles and bones popped "Should be more concerned with the _real_ danger here. Me" Spike wrenched the arm out of the demon's socket and then pulled it out of himself.

He clubbed the demon around the head with it and it fell to the ground dead or unconscious minus one arm.

Fists and feet were hitting him everywhere and Spike could feel Buffy beneath him trying to shove him off. Eventually she managed it and he got tossed to the side. The demons grabbed him up and threw him aside, they started to pass him around further and further away from Buffy who still lay on the floor fighting off all the demons as they came at her.

"Buffy!" Spike called, slamming his elbow into one demon's face, his foot into another's.

"Help..." Buffy muffled voice yelled "Dawn!"

Spike got thrown out of the circle and landed on the floor, skidding over it on his front before he came to a stop. He groaned and picked himself up onto his hands and knee slowly, gingerly pressing his hand to the hole in his stomach where the fist had gone through. He looked around for Dawn but couldn't see her.

He could however see a pile of demons all writhing around on top of each other like a rugby pile-up. Spike stood and his eyes widened. There had to be at least twenty of them. And they were all on top of Buffy.

Spike let out a roar and ran over to the pile grabbing two demons by the back of their shirts and tossing them off of her. He then grabbed the next two and the next two. Spike was vaguely aware of Angel doing the same thing from the other side of the pile as they both raced to help Buffy. Wesley and Gunn were taking care of the demons the two vampires were throwing across the corridor.

Spike could think of them no longer. His mind was fixated on one thing. _Help Buffy. Help Buffy. Help Buffy._ So he continued to toss the demons away like rag dolls.

However both Angel and Spike had to jump to the floor for cover when suddenly at least ten demons were propelled up into the air and went flying in every direction over them. Spike looked up from his position on the floor and saw Buffy standing there, her hair windswept, her face covered in blood and _that_ expression on her face. Spike knew what that face meant. It promised pain.

Both Angel and Spike just watched in awe from where they lay on the floor as Buffy tore into the demons like a tornado. She threw them down the corridor like they had wings; they landed against the walls so hard that their bones were crushed in one fell swoop. She kicked her feet _through_ their skulls; she punched her hands into their chests and ripped out their hearts. All the while she did this she was the most exquisite woman to have graced the face of this Earth.

In less than a minute the demon army was obliterated, the corridor leading up to Angel's office was in dire need of a cleaning team, and Buffy the vampire Slayer stood in the middle of it all with her arms crossed and her trademark pout.

"Dawn?" Buffy said.

Dawn Summers walked towards her with a couple of cuts on her face and Spike's axe in her hand. She stood by her side and then noticed him "Spike?"

"Hey, niblet," Spike stood up slowly, dusting himself off "Like the hair"

Angel was now standing too "Buffy. Wow, this is a surprise. If I knew you were coming I would have..."

"What?" Buffy whirled around to look at him "You would have what? Lied to me? Hid Spike in a closet until I went away?"

"It was never my decision not to tell you" Angel replied.

Buffy turned her steely gaze to Spike "You! You..." Her resolve faded and she ran up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him close.

Spike let out a disbelieving sound and felt his eyes widen at this. He had just snapped out of it enough to start to hug her back when she shoved him away so hard he fell on his ass _again_.

"Okay, now I'm _really_ confused" He muttered rubbing his head.

"You're confused! You...you...Oh!" Buffy turned on her heel and slammed into the fire exit door that led to the stairs.

The door swung shut with a loud, deafening thud in the silence of the war-torn corridor. Spike looked around awkwardly as did everyone else.

"Way to go, Spike!" Dawn huffed and turned to follow her sister before pointing at Angel "And you! _Men!_"

With that she disappeared out of the same door. Leading to another similar echoing thud of the closing door.

"That went well, I thought" Spike offered after a few moments.

Angel nodded "Better than expected"

**A/N: As always I ask you review. **


	3. Left out of the loop

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews and the advice on how to get more reviews! grins**

Buffy didn't even make out of Wolfram and Hart before she collapsed onto the stairs. Some part of it, she was sure, was the exhaustion of the fight. A whole other _huge_ part of it was seeing her ex-boyfriend who she had thought dead for two years just standing there and almost killing her with an axe. Spike. Spike was alive. She knew she should feel relief but all she felt right then was anger at having been lied to. Who knew how long he had been back? And, what – telling her had just slipped his mind? Not gonna cut it.

Buffy heard Dawn coming down the stairs before she sat next to her on the cold concrete step. Buffy didn't look at her, she couldn't. She kept her head cradled in her hands as Dawn slipped an arm over her shoulder.

She had dealt with Spike's death it had taken her a long while but she had dealt with it and now here he was again and it just brought the previously buried pain back up into her chest, into her heart. Her heart felt like it was on fire and she couldn't breathe properly. She started to take in deep breaths and it sounded suspiciously like hyperventilating. Tears pooled on her bottom eyelids and threatened to spill out but she wiped them away furiously.

"I...don't understand" Buffy whispered slowly.

Dawn pulled her closer "Me neither. Seems we were left out of the loop"

Buffy choked up a laugh but then swallowed it bitterly down. She pulled away from Dawn and stood up with her back to her, not wanting to have to share what she was feeling with anyone. She looked up at the ceiling trying to make sure that the tears stayed back. Buffy wiped her face with her shirtsleeve and that was when she saw all the blood and realized what a state she looked. Buffy spun around to Dawn with a dire expression on her face.

"Oh, do I look as bad as I think I do?"

Dawn struggled with telling the truth and being kindly dishonest but went with brutal honesty "No. No. So long as you don't take offence to being compared to _Carrie_"

"Great! That's..." Buffy sighed and threw her hands out in the air "Just been involved in one hell of a fight, just found out he's back from the dead...and I'm worried about my hair"

Dawn gave her a sympathetic face "It's understandable. You're a girl"

"Is it...really bad? Are we talking frizz?" Buffy looked at Dawn with wide eyes hopeful for a 'no' answer.

"Major"

The Slayer gave a deep groan and ran her hands over her hair "I think I have to go and...have a shower, or at least find a basin"

"You can use mine"

Buffy and Dawn both looked up the staircase to see Angel standing there leaning against the railing and watching her with his dark eyes. Even after a fight he still looked perfectly spruced – only a small bruise on his chin and a cut under his left eye. He wore a black jacket, dark blue shirt and black pants. _His_ hair was still perfect. Dammit. And she was mad at him, she remembered.

"No," Buffy shook her head, folding her arms "I don't think that will be necessary. I think that my sister and me are just gonna go. You know. Far, far away" She turned to leave as Dawn stood to follow her.

"Buffy" Angel descended the stairs slowly "It was Spike's choice not to tell you"

The Slayer took a step up towards him "You could have called me. I...I wouldn't have come, not if he didn't want me to. You could have told me"

Angel looked down at the floor for a moment then shook his head slowly "Buffy..."

"How...how long?"

Angel looked at her questioningly "What?"

"How long after he...died. How long after did he come back?"

The vampire paused for a long while and Buffy watched his face go through conflicting emotions and he shifted from foot to foot.

She felt a flush of panic and anger flare through her "How long, Angel?"

"Six months" Spike announced as he stood at the top of the staircase.

Buffy looked up at him and bit the side of her mouth to stop herself from saying something she didn't want to say. Like that she had missed him. No, she wanted to be angry not all girly and weepy. Anger was the key to avoid feeling real feelings. She looked at him with his mussed platinum curly locks and that scar running through his left eyebrow, those bluest of blue eyes, those cheekbones...Buffy looked away from him before she did something stupid like hug him again.

Six months. So, he had been back for a year and a half and he had not told her. Yep, there was that anger she was looking for.

"So, they don't have phones here?" Buffy asked with scorn in her voice "No E-mail? No...no anything? Or...or am I getting radio silence treatment again?"

She remembered how much it had hurt her when Riley had gone and had not contacted her at all in all those months. But at least she knew that he was alive and had not started to burn up in front of her very own eyes. Buffy looked down at her hand and recalled the sensation of gripping Spike's hand as it caught on fire. The flames had enveloped her hand and she had felt nothing, just sort of cleansed as she looked up into his eyes and said those words that she had said all that time ago in the Hellmouth when the world had almost ended.

"Buffy –" Spike started and took a couple of steps down the stairs.

"Don't!" Buffy took a step back "Don't come near me! I...I am going home. I...this never happened. You obviously didn't want me to know, right? So, I'll just pretend it never happened. Or, maybe Willow can help me out with a spell, huh?" She turned to leave.

"Oh, don't be bloody stupid" Spike marched down the stairs "I didn't tell you because..."

She whirled around to him and he was only a few steps away – the hardness in her eyes made him take a step back "You didn't tell me because what, Spike?"

"Because...I just couldn't" He looked off to the side "I had to...be _me_. Before I could see you again. I had to just be me again"

Buffy scowled "And what the _hell_ does that mean?"

Spike blinked and just stood looking at her. The Slayer sighed and turned away from him turning up her eyes to look at the ceiling of the stairwell. She heard him exhale a long sigh too and that got her mad again – he was frustrated with _her_? Buffy spun around, surprised to find Angel and Dawn had scampered, and walked up close to him so close that their chests almost touched. She tried to ignore the almost long-forgotten scent of him. Spike smelt of smoke, blood, death and, a little strangely, apples. He was literally the apple that tempted Eve.

The vampire looked down at her and his eyes widened just a little as he thought about stepping away or maybe...closing the gap.

"Do you hate me, Spike?" She asked looking up into his eyes.

"What?" Spike frowned, shook his head "No! No, of course not. I could never hate you"

Buffy tilted her head, kept her voice soft "Then why would you keep this from me? You could have called...just to let me know that you...that you _weren't_..." She felt the tears pooling up in her eyes again.

He looked off to the side then down at her and spoke just as softly "I couldn't call you for a while. I came back as a ghost. Couldn't leave the city limits. And after...well, I needed to see if I could live alone without depending on you. Without _needing_ to just be near you. Besides...Andrew, he told me you were happy with Dawn in Rome. Said you had a new bloke too, so, I didn't wanna ruin that. I didn't want to ruin your life again"

Buffy took a step back "Andrew knew? He knew and he didn't tell me?"

"I asked him not to"

"This is Andrew! He can't keep anything a secret!" Buffy cried "Especially not for two years!"

Spike shrugged "I suppose he can if it's important"

"Me not knowing you're alive is important, huh?"

"Buffy..." Spike reached his hand out to her.

Again she looked down at his hand and was reminded of their fingers interlaced and on fire as she looked into his eyes. Spike jerked his hand away and stuffed it into the pocket of his jacket, she looked at him and he gave her a look that told her he knew exactly what she was remembering. They looked at each other in the eyes and then mutually looked away.

"Well..." Buffy felt her jaw set "You may not hate me but I hate you"

Spike looked up, _that_ look on his face – the sad eyes, the slightly parted lips, the slight shake of his head.

She took a step backwards and hit the wall "I hate you for not telling me. I hate you swearing Andrew to secrecy. I hate you for choosing to stay with Angel, the one guy you're suppose to hate in the whole world –"

"Buffy, I –"

"I hate you for sacrificing yourself in the first place. I hate you for not coming with me when I begged you to. I hate you for choosing to burn up in the Hellmouth instead of to live your life. I hate you for asking me to give you the amulet. And I hate you for loving me" Buffy felt the tear slip down her cheek before she could stop it and she turned to bolt down the stairs.

Spike chased her and blocked her way "Don't do this, luv"

"You should have stayed dead" Buffy yelled and shoved him hard.

He stumbled and went down. Buffy watched in horror as Spike tumbled down the concrete stairs. Her eyes never left him in a morbid sort of fascination. His leather duster flailed in every direction and his limbs stuck out in odd shapes as he hit step after step. She heard his head make a sickening thud, thud, thud on every step until he collapsed onto the platform below where he rolled over backwards from sheer speed and trajectory and struck the back of his head against the wall with a loud crack. Spike groaned and sat there slumped with his back against the wall.

Buffy stood there at the tops of the stairs and just looked at him. Then she collapsed onto the top stair and sat there with her legs pulled up high to her chest, her arms wrapped around them. She rested her forehead against her knees.

"I always do this," She said quietly "I always...I always do this. I always hurt you"

Spike let out a wince and pulled himself slowly up into a straighter sitting position, his pupils were glazed and uneven "No. It...it was me. I hurt you. It's me...who always hur...hurts you"

"I have to go" Buffy looked up, eyes unfocused "I have to find Dawn and go"

"No! No..." Spike groaned as he attempted to stand "Please, luv, we haven't...we need to talk"

She shook her head "No, us talking always seems to lead to us fighting"

"It didn't before. That last year" He braced his back against the wall and half-stood "We were fine then. We were actually getting on. I thought we got quite..."

"Close" Buffy laughed a little but it was bittersweet as she stood slowly "Yeah, we were _real_ close, Spike. So close that when you died and came back from the dead you didn't want me to know"

Spike straightened up; clutching his stomach wound "No. I wanted you to know. I just...didn't know how to tell you. Then once I found out you had a bloke I..."

"You what? You just thought I wouldn't give a damn if you were alive? You think I am that fickle, Spike?" Buffy shouted, looking down at him "You think I had just moved on and forgotten about you?"

"I thought that maybe you _should_ forget about me" He replied looking back at her.

The Slayer threw her hands up in the air "And there it is. More of that self-aware vampire crap. God, did working with Angel do this to you? Did he give you lessons in ways to break my heart?" Her voice had gone raw and she no longer cared that tears were running down her face.

"Buffy," Spike started up the stairs towards her, still clutching his stomach "I don't own your heart. I never did and we both know it"

She turned her back on his ascension "That so? You can read my heart now?"

"Well, no. I never did understand you"

"Funny, your line used to be the complete opposite"

"No," He reached the top step and was directly behind her "I thought I knew you. Thought I could bring you into the dark with me. But you're a girl who deserves to be in the light. Always did, always will"

She felt his voice travel down her skin, down the back of her neck leading a trail of ice all the way down her spine and making her muscles tense. She turned her head to the side and glanced at him over her shoulder before turning away again "I can't deal with this now. I...came here because I had something important to tell Angel"

"Oh" Spike stepped up next to her and then around her "Well, he seems to have buggered off along with Dawnie"

"They won't be far away. Wouldn't wanna miss all the excitement" Buffy cocked her head to the side then smiled grimly as she walked up the other flight of stairs and yanked the door open.

Both Angel and Dawn stumbled into the stairwell and nearly fell but steadied each other. Buffy crossed her arms and looked down at them in disapproval.

Dawn frowned "We couldn't hear anything anyway" She grumbled.

"Not that I was trying to. I was just keeping an eye on Dawn, making sure she didn't get into any trouble" Angel cleared his throat and nodded.

"Hey! You were the one that came up with the idea" Dawn smacked his arm.

Angel grinned and patted Dawn's head "Of _course_ I did, Dawnie " He gave Buffy a look as if to say _these crazy kids today, huh?_

"Enough. I just wanna get this over with. Angel there's something I need to tell you" Buffy walked out of the staircase knowing that he would follow her.

She walked through the corridor of dead lizard bodies and just stepped over them as if they weren't even there. Buffy made her way to the office at the end of the corridor, which she just knew, was Angel's office. The Slayer opened both of the doors as she entered unaware that she mirrored Angel's entrance every time he wanted to make a statement.

Buffy looked around his plush, expensively furnished office and knew that she was meant to be impressed. The desk, the couches, the windows streaming sunlight through the room, the carpet, and the art deco mural behind the desk...it was all so _wrong_. This wasn't Angel. Buffy stood in the middle of the room and faced the door as Angel entered. He closed the doors behind him and stepped slowly closer to her as if apprehensive of what she might do. After throwing Spike down the stairs she wouldn't have blamed him for being cautious.

"Buffy, I'm sorry –" He started, his chocolate eyes melting at her still with all that _soul_ in them.

"No. I understand why" Buffy said "Spike asked you not to"

Angel nodded slowly "Yes"

"And you always do what Spike tells you to do" Buffy looked at him, kept her voice light but the sarcasm was running beneath it.

"I –"

"You didn't _want _me to know Angel," The Slayer interrupted him "You wanted to keep Spike and I apart. What was it you said back in Sunnydale? 'Getting the brush off for Captain Peroxide doesn't exactly bring out the champion in you'. That's right, right?"

Angel strolled up to her "That is not what happened, Buffy. It was Spike's choice not to tell you and I...okay, maybe I wasn't gonna give him a rousing speech and send him off with a plane ticket and a ring but I didn't tell him _not_ to go. I stayed neutral"

"Something you're very good at" Buffy said coldly "Or...at least until you took over an evil law firm. Finally got off the fence and chose your side. Gotta be honest with you Angel, I didn't see this coming. I never saw the day when I wouldn't be able to trust you completely, the day when we were no longer allies"

Angel's face lost all expression as he spoke "I am trying to do the right thing here. It was your decision to cut off from me completely. Andrew told me just what you thought of me. So, what is it exactly you're doing here? Besides insulting me and throwing Spike down the stairs?"

Buffy looked at him for a long moment "I thought you couldn't hear anything?"

"Dawn couldn't. I could. Vampire hearing"

"Right, good. Eavesdropping" She shook her head "God, Angel! You _have_ changed. But I _did_ come here for a good reason. There's trouble. Here. And on a more global scale. This thing is so big and so dangerous that it makes us seem tiny. We _need_ to help each other on this because divided we fall" She watched his face.

Angel paused then nodded "I'm willing to share"

**A/N: Need I say it again? You know what I want. El Reviewos!**


	4. Making an exit

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews and the glorious, glorious praise!**

Spike sat in the corridor of Angel's office on Harmony's desk. The female vampire was not at work today for some reason or another and Dawn Summers sat in her chair spinning slowly around and fiddling with the unicorns on her desk. Spike was looking at the doors to Angel's office and wishing his vampire hearing extended to closed doors that were that far away. In-between straining to hear anything he was glancing at the younger Summers woman out of the corner of his eye. Christ, she had changed.

He had seen in his last year in Sunnydale that Dawn was starting to develop a self-assuredness that reminded him of Buffy and now she had it well and truly down. For a girl of...eighteen, she must be by now, she was a lot more confident then most. She had a certain poise, a way of sitting and of walking now that showed him she had well and truly shaken off the awkward teenage stance. Besides she practically didn't have a scratch on her from the fight – Dawn could definitely take care of herself now. She was also dressing a lot more like a _woman_ now then a girl. She had her sister's classy dress sense and with her added height and slender figure Spike imagined she had all the blokes in Rome following her about begging for her time.

_Then again so does Buffy, probably..._Spike's eyes darkened as he thought of all the grubby paws of those Italians grabbing at his Slayer. _His_ Slayer? Spike snorted to himself. Buffy hadn't been his anything for a long time never had been really. She had always been just out of his reach. _Unattainable_ to coin her own phrase.

"You are such an idiot" Dawn said suddenly as she sat there with her arms folded over her chest, reminding him of her elder sister.

Spike craned his head around to look at her "Beg your pardon, Niblet?"

"I said you are such an idiot" She answered evenly looking him in the eyes unflinching "And my name is Dawn"

Spike turned around and propped his leg up on the desk so he could see her better "Don't trouble yourself with things you know nothing about, _Dawn_"

"I know a lot more than you seem to think, _Spike_" She arched an eyebrow "Buffy and I talked a lot after your supposed death. We talked all night. So, really, I know more about how she felt about you than you did"

"That so?" He looked at her and she nodded, he shrugged and lit a cigarette "Doesn't matter. Not anymore. Like you said – you know how she _felt_ about me. Not what she _feels_ about me. It's inconsequential, really. Far as she's concerned I don't exist anymore"

Dawn snorted reminding him a little of the old Niblet "Yeah right. Incase you don't remember, Spike, Buffy isn't exactly the most changeable person when it comes to emotions. You think she just, what, got over you in a couple of days?"

"Well, why don't you tell me what really happened then?" He asked taking a deep hit of the Marlboro.

She laughed "I don't think so. You really think I'm gonna spill my sister's guts out to _you_?"

"You did before"

"That was a long time ago" Dawn replied "Also before you faked your own death"

Spike looked outraged "I did not fake my own death! I burnt up into dust!"

"Still, you don't write, you don't call..."

Spike was about to reply when the doors to Angel's office opened and the big boss vampire strolled out with a dark look on his eyes and a creasing in his forehead that meant bad news. Buffy followed him out with the same look on her face. Spike hopped down from the desk and then grasped him stomach as a zigzag of pain ran up and down his torso. Dawn stood and came around the desk to stand next to him. Spike noticed with dismay that she was now as tall as he was.

"We done here?" The Slayer's little sister asked.

"Damn right we are" Buffy said all business-like "Let's go"

Angel looked at her as her and her sister started to leave "What happened to sharing?"

"We'll be back tomorrow. Got some jetlag and...other things to deal with" Buffy glanced at Spike pointedly then looked back at the other vampire "Besides, I thought you might need some time to get your troops together"

"I can get a whole unit on it in ten minutes" Angel said.

"Of course you can" Buffy sighed and carried on going.

Angel called after her "You don't have to stay in a hotel. We have plenty of guest houses and apartments you could use"

"No thanks," The Slayer said without turning back as she reached the elevator and pressed the button with Dawn standing next to her "The less time I spend in this place the less my skin feels like it wants to crawl off my body and slither down into the sewers"

With that the two women stepped into the elevators and turned around to face the two vampires as the doors slid closed. Spike looked at Buffy as she looked back at him with dead eyes. Then the doors closed and he let out a pent up breath he didn't even have to expel.

"Bloody hell" Spike muttered taking a long, trembling puff of his cigarette "She knows how to make an entrance that's for bloody sure"

"And an exit" Angel added.

The two men nodded.

"So, what did she come here to tell you anyway?" Spike asked trying to forget what it felt like seeing the Slayer again.

"Some demons getting themselves high on some new wonder drug" Angel replied as they walked down the corridor to catch the same elevator "Seems the whole demon world is using them practically but there's one group who may actually have a plan to use these drugs for something _big_. Instead of just for fun"

"Yeah? What for then?" Spike asked as they stepped in the elevator.

"World domination. What else?" Angel sighed as the doors closed "But it looks like they're gonna start with L.A"

Spike snorted "'Course they are! You know, for once I wish these demons would try and take over...Hungary first or...Czechoslo-bloody-vakia. Why has it always gotta be L.A?"

"'Cos it's the City of Angel's. That really gets up demon's noses" Angel said frankly.

"More like the City of _Angel_" He grinned "You got a personal vendetta goin' with these guys?"

Angel frowned "The Kraal's? Honestly? I don't remember. I've got so many vendettas going on I just can't keep track of them"

"So, what's the plan?"

"Get Wesley to find out as much as he can about the Kraal's - their history, their strengths, weaknesses, whether they have any person vendettas against me. The usual. Oh, and if he knows anything about these 'Speed Beads'" Angel said as the doors opened and they stepped out onto the ground floor.

Spike followed, taking a hit of his cigarette "'Speed Beads'? Christ, you think they'd give the things a decent name. Like...Super Invincibility Balls or...maybe not..." He trailed off as Angel gave him a look.

They walked towards Wesley's door and entered to find the former-Watcher sitting behind his desk reading a big dusty book as per usual. His glasses were perched on his nose as he read. Wesley had taken to wearing the glasses again about a year ago and he also dressed a little smarter again. His hair was shaven close to his head and it had started to go gray at the temples. Spike would have hated to have gray hair at Wesley's age – he was only around about thirty-seven, thirty-eight. Wesley didn't seem to mind though. Over the past year he had softened considerably. He was still an excellent fighter and went dark when he needed to but on the whole he was a lot more content, rested.

"Wes," Angel said stirring the man out of his reading "We got trouble"

Wesley smiled slightly as he closed the dusty tome "Isn't that what we've always got?"

"Buffy has brought us some information on a new drug some dangerous demons have got their claws on. Could be a potential bloodshed for L.A" He said crossing his arms and looking grave.

"Buffy? She called?"

"No" Angel shook his head, cleared his throat "She was, uh, here"

Wesley looked surprised "Here, really? And now...?"

"Now she's gone" Spike answered him "Be back tomorrow, or so she said"

The man looked at him "Ah, I take it she found out about you then?"

"Yep, about...ten minutes ago" Spike replied "It wasn't pretty"

Wesley nodded "I can see" He motioned to Spike's battered appearance and the large whole in his stomach "She did that?"

"No" Spike said.

"The horde of demons did that" Angel told him "Buffy just threw Spike down a flight of stairs"

The platinum haired vampire looked at him "Oi! You said you couldn't hear anything"

"I'd say you got off easy then," Wesley smiled looking at Spike "If I was her I would have done something...much more painful to you"

"Oh, charming!" Spike threw his hands up in the air "All get on her side why don't you"

Angel turned to Wesley "The demons are called Kraal's and they've got some new wonder drug called Speed Beads. It looks like these things can make them formidable enemies"

Wesley frowned "Speed Beads? Oh, dear, they really weren't trying to win medals for ingenuity were they?"

"I don't think that was on their to do list" Spike smirked.

"Call me if you find anything" Angel said to the ex-Watcher.

Wesley nodded and picked up another book and started researching. Angel motioned that they should go because when Wesley was in research mode they were just in the way. Spike nodded and followed the dark-haired vampire out of the office and into the foyer. Spike pulled a cigarette out and lit it up taking a long, relieving hit of it.

Angel spoke looking straight ahead as they walked "She's pretty mad at you"

"Me? What about you!" Spike pointed at him "Didn't seem too fond of you at the moment, either. Oh, well, I suppose that doesn't matter to you. You've got dog girl"

"Her name is Nina" Angel said through gritted teeth.

Spike nodded "Yeah. Nina. You know you seem tense. What's up, dog girl not giving it up?"

"Shut up, Spike"

He chuckled "Haven't had some for quite a while, have you mate?"

"Oh, like _you_ have I suppose?" Angel shook his head "No. I didn't think so"

Spike looked at him "I thought you and Nina had been seeing each other for a while now. Is it you? You having performance anxiety? Worrying you're a little rusty. I can give you some tips" He smirked.

Angel looked at him with narrowed eyes then turned away as they walked up the steps "I like Nina. I mean I _really_ like her"

The platinum-haired vampire took a hit of the cigarette "So what's the problem? Do her doggy style and make her howl at the moon already"

"You don't get it, Spike" He sighed "I like her. So, the curse..."

"Oh. Moment of true happiness. Right" Spike nodded "So glad my soul didn't come with any hidden disclaimers like that"

Angel glared at him "No. It just made you even more of a jerk"

Spike shrugged and they turned a corner as they reached the top of the stairs. The two vampires walked side by side with similar concerned facial expressions on their faces. Spike taking an occasional drag from his Marlboro and Angel searching the corridor for danger out of sheer habit. A lot had changed this day. Spike was still dealing with it, although probably not in a rational, responsible way. It was Angel who spoke first.

"She looked good, didn't she?"

Spike glanced at him "Good doesn't cover it. Like a goddess, mate, like a goddess"

Angel nodded "I thought so"

The two vampires paused at the end of a corridor both looking straight ahead and then sighed in unison. Angel turned right and Spike turned left.

**A/N: This was a LONG chapter that was even longer but I spared you the eye ache. I'm nice like that. **


	5. When someone comes back from the dead, t...

**A/N: This is a really short chapter which follows on from the last one. This is Buffy's POV though.**

"How is it possible I wouldn't know?"

Buffy sat on the edge of the bed in her hotel room. It was a small room with twin beds painted a warm yellow colour with beige carpeting and en suite bathroom. Dawn knelt on the floor in front of her as she tended to Buffy's slashed ribs. She had spread antiseptic cream on it and was now bandaging it tightly. The Slayer realized her sister was becoming quite the expert at dressing wounds...she wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

"I don't know, Buffy" Dawn said softly.

It seemed to Buffy that she would know if a friend had come back from the dead. She had always kind of thought of herself as having all these invisible strings that tethered the people she loved to her. They stretched and occasionally sometimes became frayed but they always remained so long as the person still lived. When someone she cared about died Buffy could almost feel the string flailing in the air no longer attached to any other body. Buffy didn't know if this was a Slayer thing or a Buffy Summers thing but she was sure she would have felt if Spike's string had become taut again. Instead she had been oblivious.

Christ, that was deep for her.

"I just can't believe he didn't tell me," Buffy winced as Dawn brushed a cut "It's a simple courtesy thing. When someone comes back from the dead they call. How would he have felt if I hadn't told him when I came back from the dead?"

Dawn nodded "He would have been mad"

"Right. And he told Andrew!"

Her sister's eyes widened "Andrew? Andrew can't keep a secret!"

"I know!" Buffy threw her hands in the air and winced.

"I can't believe he didn't tell us. He crashed on our couch for how long?" Dawn looked outraged "That little worm. I'll kill him when I get back"

The Slayer looked at her "Get in line"

The Slayer stood after Dawn had finished with her slashed ribs and she walked into the bathroom to wash up. She shed her grimy, bloody clothes. Getting a sponge she washed every inch of her and still wanted to shower but she couldn't because of the dressing on her wound. She looked at her arms where the demon claws had sunk in and winced. She wrapped some bandages around those herself and was beginning to feel like a mummy.

She looked in the mirror and tried to work out why Spike hadn't told her. Had she been that much of a tyrant that he thought she would drag him away against his own will? His excuse had been that he had to be his own man. As excuses went it was lame. Buffy had never asked Spike to follow her around and fall in love with her. It had been his own fault.

Buffy washed her hair over the bath and then picked up her comb to de-tangle. For some reason it made her feel better, made her clear her head. Gave her something to focus on. It was only when she looked in the mirror again that Buffy realized she was crying. She grunted at herself and balled up some toilet tissue to wipe away the salty tears.

The Slayer was not going to cry over that arrogant vampire.

She hardened herself then because she only had two options. One of them was to fall to pieces and bawl her eyes out before running back to Wolfram and Hart to hug him and possibly never let go. The other, much more preferable option, was to act like she didn't care, make him think that she was over it. As far as she was concerned it was life as normal. The mission was what mattered.

So, that's what she did. She straightened the set of her shoulders and lifted her chin defiantly as she looked in the mirror and combed her hair out.

Buffy paused a moment before walking back out into the room to find Dawn watching the TV, or at least pretending to. When she walked in her sister looked up. Buffy gave her a reassuring smile and walked to the wardrobe to get some fresh clothes. She went back to the bathroom and changed before coming out again and walking to the half open window.

Their view was of a busy L.A street and Buffy welcomed the distraction. The sun was shining as it usually was in California. Nothing compared to the heat of Rome though. Buffy smiled as she thought about the gorgeous beaches and sights. There really was nowhere else in the world like Rome.

_Right, think about the weather not about him_.

Buffy scowled at herself. She had almost made it a full minute without that subject cropping up and now her own brain was betraying her. She let out a resigned sigh and tried to focus her mind on the mission – Kraals, Speed Beads, slaying. _Kraals, Speed Beads, slaying. Kraals, Speed Beads, slaying. _It was like a mantra and Buffy knew that she could get through this if she just kept on repeating that. However there was still one issue that she just had to clear up before she could move on. She couldn't ignore it. It had to be addressed.

"He looked good, didn't he?" Buffy asked.

Dawn turned to look at her "Which one Spike or Angel?"

"Spike"

"Oh. Yeah" Dawn nodded "Still a hottie"

Buffy screwed her eyes shut and rested her head on the windowsill "I thought so" She groaned.

**A/N: Short. Short. But you gotta have variation, right? RIGHT?! **


	6. Rebound Guy

**A/N: Thank ye all for the reviews. **

He wasn't going in today. And it wasn't because he was scared. It was because he didn't want to cause anymore hurt and confusion. It was a selfless act, really. Spike tried to convince himself of this as he sat slumped in his couch with a bowl of Wheetabix with blood on his lap and his eyes fixed on the TV. Going to Wolfram and Hart today would just aggravate the situation and Spike was being courteous and avoiding confrontation. Christ, Angel had turned him into a poof.

Sitting in his basement apartment Spike took in the surroundings vaguely. Lindsey had given him the apartment back when he was pretending to be Doyle. Spike had thought about leaving the apartment on the principle of the thing until he remembered he didn't have principals. So, he stayed and did as he liked here and it was handy because it was close to the office and the grocers.

Spike hated going to the supermarket in L.A. It was times like that when he yearned for a small town like Sunnydale. Back in Sunnyhell if he went to the supermarket at midnight for Wheetabix and smokes there would be few, if any, people there. In L.A there were still droves of people there at midnight and if there was one thing Spike couldn't stand it was people. Back when he had been soulless and chipless he had loved crowds...mainly because they were so tasty. Now, he just liked to stick to himself mostly. It was hard to do that in a city as big as Los Angeles.

_Right, thinking about Sunnydale again. About her. Get a life, you wanker_.

Spike tried to shake himself out of it. He studied the apartment to take his mind off of _that._ The brick walls were painted an off-white but you could still see the outline of the bricks through them. The floor was carpeted in dark blue. He had a black couch, a TV and a coffee table to put his feet up on. There was a lamp on a small stand next to the couch, which he had on now because he had no windows.

The whole thing was mostly open-plan, which Spike didn't really understand the appeal of, except for his small bedroom, which was in a separate room. He had a small double bed with dark cobalt blue sheets and not much else was in that room apart from a small dresser for his limited wardrobe and an en suite bathroom.

In the main body of the apartment was a small kitchen area that wasn't so much a kitchen but more a part of the room with a lot of cupboards, a fridge and a microwave. Spike's cupboards were mostly empty except for two boxes of Wheetabix (to give the blood texture); three jars of Burba Weed (to make the blood spicy) and a box of micro-wavable hot chicken wings. In the fridge there were several containers of cold pigs blood that he would heat up in the microwave and then add some Burba Weed too.

Sitting on the couch in only his jeans Spike slurped at the Wheetabix but didn't really taste anything, not even the blood. His mind was far too preoccupied for that. There was a loud knocking on the door and Spike's head snapped to the sound. He put the bowl on the coffee table and stood, cursing.

Pulling on a shirt and running his hand through his hair he walked to the door and really prayed it wasn't _her._ Angel may have told her where he lived as a revenge act and now she was here to stake him for not telling her.

Spike opened the door and groaned at the sight that greeted him. He leaned against the doorframe and waited for Harmony to speak. The blond vampire was dressed in a white summer dress with pink flowers and pink flip-flop sandals.

"Angel sent me to tell you, and I quote 'Spike, get your ass down here right now you coward' end quote" Harmony beamed "Okay?"

Spike snorted "Tell him to piss off. I'm obviously so needed he sent his best agent down to get me"

Harmony frowned "You're being mean to me again, aren't you?"

"What do you think, Harm?" He smirked.

"I think that I'm gonna tell your Muffy the Vampire Layer where you are so that she can come and get you herself" Harmony grinned "Oh, and you might want to take a shower"

She giggled and turned on her heel walking away.

"Don't you bloody dare!" Spike roared.

"I'd take the advice on the shower, Spikey" She laughed and walked out of sight.

Spike slammed the door shut and let out an almighty bellow, his face vamping out. He stormed to the shower and practically tore his clothes off stepping into it and turning the water to very hot. It burnt his skin and turned it pink but he really didn't care at that moment. _Stupid Harmony, Sodding Angel, Bloody Buffy!_ It became his mantra as he spread some shower gel over him.

Spike closed his eyes and took a long, unneeded breath as he leaned his forehead against the cold tile with the water beating down on him. He took a moment just to gather himself and calm down before he stepped out of the shower and dried off.

Walking into his bedroom he got some clothes out to change into all the while repeating the mantra in his head. He pulled on some clean black jeans, his belt, a dark green T-shirt for some variation and his duster on top of that. Spike checked his pockets to make sure he had his cigarettes, lighter and money and then he picked up his keys and left the apartment still angry.

He needed to get back before Harmony did and was glad he had stolen Angel's Viper and parked it outside the back door to his building. Spike pulled his duster over his head and ran out into the bright sunshine. He unlocked the car by pointing the key at it and pressing a button. Spike wrenched the door open when he reached it and jumped in pulling it closed behind him.

The vampire was glad for the sun-tinted windows as his skin smoked a little and he took a few moments to recover. Then he started the car and peeled out of the lot. He drove down the roads breaking more than a few speed limits and cranking the radio up on his favourite punk rock station.

Spike pulled into the underground parking lot of Wolfram and Hart's building less than ten minutes later. He got out of the car and locked it before walking over to the elevator and getting in. He pressed Angel's floor number and the doors slid closed.

Spike was jittering with nerves but he couldn't let her see that or Angel for that matter. So on the ride up he squared his shoulder and tightened his jaw. He balled his fists and made sure that he got the attitude right. As he reached the floor under Angel's he got himself in the right frame of mind. The key was confidence, act cocky and don't get hurt. Simple as that.

When the elevator reached Angel's floor and the doors slid open Spike stepped out and swaggered over to the office door noting with satisfaction that Harmony was not back at her desk yet. He made it to the shut double doors and hesitated for a moment. Took a breath. It was so quick that no one would have noticed it.

Then Spike pasted a grin on his face and pushed both doors open and swept into the room. Angel, Dawn, Buffy and Gunn were all gathered around Angel's desk looking at papers and all looked up as he entered. Spike had achieved the desired effect.

"Spike, nice of you to show" Angel said with dark eyes.

He shrugged and pulled a cigarette out "You know me, stickler for punctuality"

"Anyway," Buffy said turning her back on Spike to look at Angel "I figure that we should all split up and take the sewers, the streets, the demons haunts. That way we have a better chance of having some kind of sighting of the Kraal's. I think teams is the best way to go"

Spike tried not to show the hurt on his face at being snubbed. She had just breezed right on past him as though he didn't exist. Well, _fine_ Spike decided lighting the fag up and taking a hit _two can play that game_.

"Agreed" Angel nodded "Okay, so Nina, Wes and I will take the sewers with the swat teams since this is the most likely place to encounter demons. Buffy and Dawn you take these streets here and Spike and Illyria will take the streets adjacent"

Gunn looked at the map "Lorne and I can take the demon bars, try to get some info on these Kraals"

Angel nodded "Good"

"Hang on, why am _I _stuck with the creature from the Blue Lagoon?" Spike asked, incensed.

"That was Brook Shields" Dawn pointed out.

"Whatever," Spike said looking at Angel "Well?"

Angel came around the desk "Illyria seems to like you"

"Nope, she likes the way I break under her fists" Spike took a drag "That ain't my idea of a good time"

Buffy snorted audibly.

Everyone turned to face her but she just looked around the room as though she hadn't heard anyone.

Gunn turned to Spike "That thing doesn't mind you and it sure as hell ain't mingling with any of us"

"The lady has taste" Spike shrugged.

Angel cleared his throat "Right. So that's settled. Each group gets a radio to contact the rest of us if they see or hear of anything"

He pointed to a box on the table. Spike looked and saw that there was a box with five radios in it sitting on Angel's desk. Spike walked over to the desk and ended up behind Buffy he reached his arm around her to grab one and her back visibly turned rigid. Spike wondered if this was because of their close proximity or because he was a demon and she had reacted instinctually. Probably the latter, knowing his luck.

Spike picked up one of the radios and waved it in front of her face making sure she understood his intentions had been innocent. Yeah, right. Buffy relaxed a little and picked up her own radio as Spike walked back to his previous spot. The Slayer handed the radio to Dawn.

"Always fancied yourself an army boy didn't you?" Spike said to Angel whilst fiddling with a switch.

Angel glowered "Shut up Spike"

"Do we get code names?" Spike asked eagerly.

"Shut up Spike" Angel repeated.

Spike murmured mostly to himself "I think we should get code names"

Angel looked around the room "Is everyone clear on the plan?"

Everyone nodded except for Spike who was too busy playing with the buttons on his radio. Angel rolled up the map that had been spread over his desk and placed an elastic band around it to keep it rolled up.

"Great, so what are we supposed to do until the dead guys can come out to play?" Buffy asked, her voice harder then the joke called for.

Gunn cleared his throat "Well, I'd be happy to give you the tour"

"I don't think –"

"We'd love to!" Dawn nodded "Right, Buffy? Give us a chance to know our enemy"

Angel's eyes widened.

Dawn shook her head "Oh, not you! We can get the basic layout of the place. They have a Wolfram and Hart in Rome, right?"

"Right. The place with the boss woman who said I was the embodiment of handsome" Spike chuckled still mostly to himself.

Buffy snapped her head to look at him "Wait! You've been to Rome?"

Spike looked up slowly.

"Way to go Spike" Angel rubbed his forehead and groaned.

She turned to him "You as well? Both of you!"

Spike shook his head, taking a step up to her "It's not what you think, we had a job to do. It's a very amusing story. There was a head and an explosion –"

"You came to Rome and you _still_ didn't tell me?" She looked at him, face hard "What, were you stalking me again?"

"Oi!" Spike looked indignant.

"And you! You're doing that thing where you can see me but I can't see you again" Buffy looked at a guilty faced Angel.

The platinum-haired vampire shook his head "Technically we didn't see you at all. Well, one far away glimpse. We kept trying to get to you but every time we did something got in the way and then Andrew told us you were in love with The Immortal"

Angel looked at Buffy, stone-faced "Otherwise known as Mr. Eater of Cookies"

Buffy's face softened for a moment then. Then it was gone and placed with another face of pure anger. She looked like she was about to boil over and both Angel and Spike took an unconscious step backwards and they knew it was about to become deadly. Mt. Buffy was about to erupt.

"You could have found me if you had wanted to" Buffy said in a low voice.

"Andrew told us you were happy and we should go –" Angel started.

"Oh, _Andrew _told you" Buffy folded her arms as she addressed the two vampires "I'm sure he'd be glad to know he has you two as his bitches"

Gunn couldn't stop himself from commenting "Oh, smackdown!" He said then looked sheepish.

Spike stepped into the Slayer "If we were anyone's bitches, it wasn't Andrew's..."

"Oh, and the vampires come out swinging" Gunn said in a slightly lower voice.

Dawn nodded in agreement.

"Me?" Buffy looked at Spike "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize that I asked you to follow me around like a lovesick schoolboy. I didn't realize that I encouraged you to stalk me for practically a year of my life! I guess it _is _all my fault. _Please_. If you are trying to blame your cowardice on me, Spike, then you need to know that it isn't gonna work that way"

"I didn't ask to fall in love with you!" He growled stepping into her again.

Buffy looked him in the eyes "And I didn't ask you to be in my life in the first place!"

The two of them glared at one another and both balled their fists ready for a fight.

Angel stepped in "This isn't the place for this. I think we should all just calm down and talk this through at another –"

"Oh, I'm sorry, _dad_" Buffy looked at him and if looks could kill Angel would have been dust "I guess I'll go"

Buffy walked over and to Dawn and picked up her bag slinging it over her shoulder she motioned her sister to follow her as they walked over to the door. The three men left in the room turned to watch her go.

The Slayer turned back "The thing about you two is, you've been around so long I would have thought you could tell the difference between love and the rebound guy"

With that the two girls left the room slamming the door behind them as they went. The three men stared at the door in various degrees of confusion.

"So," Gunn said very slowly "The Immortal was her rebound guy?"

A spark lit in Angel's eyes "She wasn't..."

"...in love with him" Spike finished.

The two vampires looked at each other and something instantly changed between them. They were rivals once again.

**A/N: Mwhahahhahaha! cough, wheeze Reviews, please?**


	7. Bizarro World

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews, my adoring public! **

God, she hated those stupid vampires! With their stupid coats and stupid hair and stupid egotistical attitudes! I mean, who did they think they were anyway? Keanu Reeves and Kiefer Sutherland? Not hardly.

She sometimes got so mad she thought she might tear down a whole building and this was one of those times. One more thing and she was going to go over the edge, she decided as she stormed through the corridor outside Angel's stupid office.

"Hey, Buffy!"

Buffy turned at the sound of her name and halted in her tracks a look of sheer disbelief on her face. Harmony. The vampire. From Sunnydale. Was sitting at a desk in the corridor with a bright smile on her face, wearing a summer dress and twirling a pencil around with her fingers.

"Harmony?" Buffy uttered "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I work here. Angel's my boss. I'm his PA, you know" She beamed "I love you hair it's so...retro"

That was it. Buffy turned on her heel and left before she really did tear the building down. Harmony was working for Angel? Spike was resurrected? Angel was on the side of Wolfram and Hart? No. No. No. It was bizarro world. It had to be.

--------------------------------------

Spike walked down the alleyway, sullen expression on his face. He kicked over a nearby bin; taking out his frustrations seemed a better idea then taking them out on Buffy's face. Well, at least it was a better idea because the bin couldn't kick his ass back.

The metal bin clattered loudly against the alley wall and fell with a loud clash on the ground. Illyria turned back and looked at him in that jerky bird-like way. She titled her head, her blue eyes glancing from the mess on the floor to Spike.

"This is not a productive way to hunt," She informed him "It is likely you are alerting any potential targets to our location"

"Yeah? Well, guess what – I don't care" Spike stormed ahead down the alley, purposefully kicking a stray coke can into the wall.

Illyria followed behind, slowly but with an ethereal grace to her. Almost as though she didn't quite walk on the ground, but an inch above it. She kept her eyes forward searching for any signs of the demons they were looking for…or any demons at all.

"This is because of that Slayer you are obsessed with" She commented.

Spike whirled around "I am not obsessed with her!"

"You think about her constantly, you have been known to stalk her and you start to flounce every time she is near, or so I have heard" Illyria carried on down the alley.

Spike gulped open-mouthed like a goldfish "I do not…flounce!"

"I do not see the point of your fixation" She looked back at him "The Slayer is above your station…not greatly, but still she is elevated to a higher position than a mere half-breed. You are not her equal"

"Stations have got nothing to do with it" Spike stormed past her, pointed at her face "You wouldn't understand"

"I wouldn't wish to comprehend what goes on in a mind of a lesser being"

Spike snorted and scanned the alley they were in. There was nothing here. It was another dead end. Not that he was surprised. This was bloody useless. Spike turned and entered a main street; he had a quick look about and then turned into the next alley. Citizens of L.A wouldn't pay much attention to a blue woman walking about in a skin tight leather cat-suit. There were stranger things to be seen.

"Out of curiosity – why are you preoccupied with this Bufufu?" Illyria turned into the alley with him.

Spike glared at her "It's Buffy. And I'm preoccupied with her because I love her"

"She kills your kind"

"Yeah, well" He dug his hands in his pockets "Never killed me so I got no problem with that"

She blinked "This is the same Slayer your leader is in love with, is it not?"

"Angel is _not_ my leader! He just likes to think he is. I don't work for Wolfram and Hart, I'm just trying to do the right thing…whatever it takes" Spike stalked down the alley "But, yeah, it's the same Slayer. Buffy Summers – Slayer of vampire's hearts" he snorted.

"Then what can you hope to gain from this?"

He stopped and turned to her "What's that mean?"

"Clearly, if the Slayer were to choose between you she would not choose you"

Spike's face showed outrage "Oh, is that right? You're an expert now are you? I don't bloody think so!"

"Angel, while still just a half-breed, is the stronger of you," Illyria kept on moving past him "He has higher status, Wesley reports to me that he was her first love. I have learnt over these years that that is considered to be of some consequence"

"He is not stronger than me. I kicked the snot out of him, didn't anyone tell you about that?" Spike asked, annoyed "And I've killed two Slayers. Angelus? None"

"Really"

"Yeah!" Spike said, puffing his chest out.

"Why would the Slayer wish to be with one who has killed her heritage?" Illyria spoke slowly, considering "You both mutually killed each other's kind. That would usually mean battle not love"

"It's complicated" He answered "And what would _you_ know about love, Blues Clues?"

Illyria narrowed her eyes at him briefly then she kept moving forwards, gliding and generally having that godly grace about her. Spike watched her, remembered back when that body had belonged to Fred. Fred. She was the first person he could talk to when he came back from the dead. He had liked her. She seemed sweet and humble, had a brain on her that Einstein himself would envy. And she had tried to help him. To him, Illyria was not Fred in any way, just because she walked around in a shell that had once resembled Fred did not make her Fred. Winifred Burkle was gone, and in her place there was just a shell.

"I have learnt much from Wesley" She said finally.

"I'm sure you have," Spike arched an eyebrow and then resumed walking after her down the dank and dingy alleyway "You and Wes been getting on real well of late"

She looked at him, blank-faced "You're implications are not lost on me, white-haired one. I begin to tire of your subtle and not so subtle jibes. Where I come from it would be considered sedition"

"Good thing I'm not from where you are then, ain't it?" Spike snarled.

"You're mood darkens because the Slayer turns her back on you," Illyria looked amused, the corner of one lip lifted "As she always has"

"You know _nothing_ about Buffy and me"

"I see it in your eyes, vampire" She held her hand up, looked at it "It is written in the very fabric of this reality"

Spike rolled his eyes "Great, another crazy prophetic girl"

Just then the radio in his pocket squawked to life. Static sounds filled the air. Spike reached in and pulled it out, hit it a couple of times and then started to shake it. Illyria made a face of disinterest and carried on down the alley.

"_Spi-i" _The radio crackled with Angel's voice _"Re…any thing to…report?"_

Spike frowned, talked into the thing "No, and the line's not real clear down this end, Forehead"

"_Sp-ke! Don't ca…me that!"_ Angel sounded mad, which made Spike happy _"The line…bad because…down in the sewe…"_

"Yeah, I get it. Bad reception. No need to shout, Forehead"

"_Spike!" _It rang through loud and clear that time.

He smiled "Codenames remember? It's better this way. More, covert, ya know? So, how goes it with you and Bookworm and Dog Sally?"

"_You…moron"_ Angel muttered _"Nothin'…to report. Anyone else?"_

"Nothin' here so far, Angel" Gunn's voice came down the line "But Lorne's looking in to things. That man has a lot of contacts. Unfortunately they are all either covered in slime or just plain ugly"

"_As long…we get somewhere, they can look…Hugh Hefn…for all I care"_ Angel sighed.

Spike spoke next "Right, Big Green Asparagus and Gunn, keep up the good work!"

"What, I don't get a codename?" Gunn complained.

"Couldn't think of one, mate"

"How about Revolver?" Dawn came over the line "I mean, 'cos you know – it's a gun!"

Spike smiled "Good one, Pint-Size"

"Hey!" Dawn whined "Shut up…Frosty the Punk Snowman!"

Spike gasped.

"Yeah, that's right I went there!" Dawn sounded pleased with herself.

Angel could be heard laughing down the line.

"Well, me and Blue Bertha are coming up blank everywhere" Spike carried on "So, this plan royally bombed, I think –"

"Did you just call me Big Green Asparagus?" Lorne's voice interrupted, he sounded indignant.

"Blue Bertha came up with it, I swear"

"That's it, Frosty! I am gonna follow you around and sing Cher songs to you all day and night" Lorne threatened.

Dawn laughed "You're in for it now, Frosty"

"_Guys…serious…only use radios…need to_" Angel's voice came out distorted.

"Oh, you're such a party pooper, Forehead" Spike replied.

"Everyone, Angel is right" Buffy Summer's voice rang out loud and clear "This is serious. We've got a serious threat here and joking around is not gonna get our job done faster. Now, unless we have something to report we keep it at radio silence. We check in with each other every fifteen minutes but no talking before that. Is that okay with everyone?"

Lorne spoke first "Absolutely, sorry sweet-cheeks"

"_Yeah. Buffy…right. Sorry" _Angel sounded apologetic.

"Sorry Buffy" Gunn was next; the radio squeaked a little as he must have taken it from Lorne.

There was a pause.

"Spike" Buffy sounded pissed.

He listened to it. Just the sound of her voice saying his name.

"Spike? Spike are you there?"

God, he wanted her. Not that that was anything new.

"Spike?" She actually sounded worried now.

"I'm here," He croaked "And, you know, this kind of blew the whole codenames idea"

There was a sigh "Radio silence, okay?"

"Got it"

"Oh…and Spike?"

"Yeah?"

"Got any names for me?"

Spike chuckled "I've got hundreds, love"

There was a snort and then the line went dead. Spike smiled, slipped the radio back into his pocket and went after Blue Bertha…uh, Illyria.

**A/N: Booya! Yes, I said booya. **


	8. Stronger Together

**A/N: Thanks for all the support, I'm glad you all seemed to enjoy the codenames, it was fun to write I can tell you**.

Buffy slung the crossbow against her shoulder much like a soldier with a gun. It had been a long while since she had used a crossbow but it was an old friend of hers and she felt pretty comfortable with it. Dawn was practically skipping down the alley they were in; swinging a broadsword about like it was a candy cane walking stick. They had been patrolling the alleyways for what seemed like hours but was actually about an hour and a half.

Buffy wondered where Angel was right now, he could have been under her very feet. The sewers in L.A where intense and complex, she was willing to bet. She had to be glad Angel had given her above ground duty because she really didn't think traipsing around in sewers would be good for her mood right now.

Spike and some ex-god woman were taking the alleyways and the streets opposite Dawn and Buffy. The Slayer had gotten a little bit of the story of Illyria from Angel earlier in the day when they were waiting around for Spike who was late, as usual. She knew that the god had taken over Angel's friend Fred's body. Killed Fred. She had been as powerful as Glory, maybe more so because she used to be able to slow down time. Until her power had become unstable and Angel and Co had to take some of it from her. Buffy was willing to bet she hadn't been happy about that.

She had yet to meet this Illyria and she wasn't sure she wanted to from what she had heard about her and the way people talked about her.

It was weird being back in America, patrolling for demons. Almost like the old days. Buffy had been taking it pretty easily in Rome. She had down a quick patrol every now and then but she had remained pretty much out of action until the Kraal's came into her town and got heavy. She was still a little worried that she was somewhat rusty. The fight she had had with the Kraal's had been more difficult then she had anticipated. Buffy was still keeping in shape, of course but she still felt like she'd lost some of her…drive for the kill.

Usually, that would have been a good thing.

For Buffy, now, it was probably going to be a bad thing.

First though they actually had to find the demons and their hideout, which was proving hard in a city as big as L.A.

"Buffy?"

She blinked; saw Dawn was looking at her "What? Have you found something?"

"Only piles and piles of garbage" Dawn smiled, "You spaced out for a few moments. You okay?"

"What? Yeah. Yeah. I'm fine. Just thinking, you know"

"About Spike?"

Buffy glared at her little sister "No, not about Spike"

"Yeah, sure" Dawn smiled.

"Don't you tease me. I'm the big sister, it's my job to tease you about boys," Buffy poked her in the ribs "So, how are things with you and Rico? Do you loooove him? Want to marry him? Wish he were here right now? Oh, Rico! I want you to hold me in your big manly man arms….!"

"Shut up!" Dawn squeaked, "Or I'll tell Angel that you still dream about him!"

"I do not!"

"Do too, and Spike" She grinned, dancing backwards "I hear you at night, 'Spike, Angel…let me get the oil!'"

Dawn broke out into hysterical laughter.

"Oh, you little liar!" Buffy howled, chasing after her "Don't think I won't slay you for that!"

Her sister screamed a small, fake scream and ran out of the alley into the street. Buffy followed her and grabbed her around the waist. She tickled her sister's ribs mercilessly.

"Buffy!" Dawn sputtered between giggles "Buffy! Not fair!"

Buffy laughed, watching as tears streamed down Dawn's face from laughing so hard.

"This is not normal patrol procedure"

Buffy looked up at the voice. Across the street from them stood Spike and…well a blue woman. Illyria, Buffy was guessing. The Slayer stood up straight and let go of Dawn. Her eyes swept over to Spike, he was smiling genuinely. Then she looked at the ex-god. Blue hair, blue eyes, partially blue skin, skintight leather body suit. Yep, Buffy did not like her already. She was pretty, in a demonic way. Maybe even beautiful.

Buffy took a step forward in-front of Dawn instinctively. _When God's are around – Protect Dawn._ That was pretty much instilled into her brain. She tilted her head, picked up the crossbow she had dropped and then she propped it up against her shoulder again.

"It's not?" Buffy said, looking Illyria in her completely blue eyes "Good thing you told me then"

She made no move to cross the street and neither did Buffy "You are the Slayer"

"One of them, yeah" Buffy replied "You must be the _former_ God"

Buffy could hear Dawn's breathing increase and she reached back and pushed her slightly more behind her own body to shield her.

"I am Illyria, you and your companion are of no importance to me" She said, moving her head in an odd way "We have found none of these Kraal's. The mission was a failure"

Buffy pulled a face "Shame. You're ready to give up so easily, though? Guess God stamina isn't what is used to be"

"I could keep walking these streets for eternity if I so wished it"

"Good luck with that then" Buffy turned to Dawn "Let's go"

"Buffy, wait" Spike shouted, he walked halfway across the street then stopped "We're all on the same side here. What's say we team up?"

"No, we cover more ground when we're apart" Buffy looked at him.

"Yeah, but we're stronger when we're together" He looked right on back.

They held eye contact for a long moment.

"I agree with the Slayer" Illyria announced "Splitting up would be more effective"

"See, we'll get along great" Buffy took a deep breath, looked at Spike "Be careful"

Spike nodded "You too"

Buffy looked at him a moment longer before she turned, and walked away into the next alley, with Dawn at her side.

**A/N: Oh, I don't know about you but I am just hanging on for some real Spuffy interaction again. Hehehe. **


	9. A Long Walk Home

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews. Even the one that told me this story was boring – THANKS! As for me dragging out the Spuffiness…hell yes! I'm around to torture you. Must be doing something right.**

"Would it kill you to have some social graces?" Spike asked Illyria as they walked down another alley.

The ex-God regarded him silently for a moment "Coming from your insolent mouth, I find that humorous. It is not my purpose to show compassion and politeness to a Slayer, or anyone. She is far below my status"

"And what status is that? Dried up ex-God?" Spike questioned arrogantly.

Illyria grabbed him in a vice-like grip around the neck unexpectedly. She shoved him against the wall and lifted him up so his feet dangled in the air. Her fingers pushed into his windpipe with crushing force and Spike was glad he didn't need to breathe as he clawed lamely at her arm. He growled but it came out sounding gurgled and weak. He looked into her all-blue eyes and saw nothing there. She would crush him like a bug if she so desired. Spike had the sense to be afraid. He tried to kick out at her with his legs but could not get the leverage.

"You forget your place, vampire," She said calmly but through gritted teeth "You are nothing to me but a pet, a nuisance of a pet at that. Nothing more than a…a dog, as you call it"

Spike gurgled an answer.

She frowned and released her grip on his neck slightly.

"You know what they say," Spike rasped "A dog is for life not just for Christmas"

Illyria pulled him towards her then slammed him into the wall again. Spike winced as pain shot up his back and brick crumbled around him. He grabbed at her arm trying to use all of his strength of pull her away from him.

He spoke through gritted teeth now, a vein bulging in his forehead "You know…you say I'm nothing to you…a dog…but you get pretty worked up about one little comment…so, I guess you are concerned with what lesser beings…think of…you"

Illyria's eyes narrowed and she squeezed tighter on his throat again. Spike's eyes bulged and he began to splutter and he dug his nails into her arm without much effect – especially with the leather cat-suit thing she had on.

Suddenly the radio in Spike's pocket squeaked and squealed. Illyria looked down in the direction and Spike tried to struggle free again with no avail.

"Guys, its Dawn…we got trouble…Buffy…fighting…" Dawn's voice sounded ragged and out of breath "Alley…help now!"

Spike looked at Illyria. He struggled harder. Illyria looked back.

A moment passed.

The ex-god dropped him so suddenly he fell to the floor. Spike was in a crouch rubbing at his neck and groaning. He looked up and found himself alone in the alley. The vampire stood and ran back out into the street. He vamped out and sniffed at the air for Buffy's scent following it to an alley across the street and to the left. He ran down it full force, duster flailing behind him, he rounded the corner and stopped in his tracks.

Something was coming towards him. No, some_one_.

They weren't walking or even running. They were flying. Spike put his arms up just in time to brace himself for impact as the body careened into him and sent him and his assailant slamming into the wall behind him.

He fell to the floor and the other person fell on top of him.

Spike shook his head. Blonde hair had fallen in his face; the scent of vanilla overwhelmed his senses.

Buffy lifted her head up and met his eyes as she lay half on him "Well, _ow_"

Spike smiled "You all right, love?"

Without thinking he reached up and brushed a strand of hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. Buffy jumped back like she had been shocked and sat up on the ground. They locked eyes; Spike tilted his head as he scanned every inch of her face. Buffy looked away, let out a long, ragged breath. She nodded slowly.

"Yeah, I'm...I'm good" Buffy stood "We found us a Kraal"

"Worked out as much" He replied as he stood too and tried not to think too much about what had just happened.

They started running towards the end of the alley when Spike could see Illyria punching an ugly looking demon into the wall and then pummeling it repeatedly in the face. The demon looked to be about six feet tall, with the build of a bodybuilder. It's skin was a off-green, sort of like mushy peas. The head was bald and there didn't actually seem to be any hair on it at all from what Spike could tell – the demon was wearing some blue jeans and a sleeveless muscle shirt. It had no nose, a small mouth with sharp teeth, which gleamed in the light and pure white eyes with no visible pupil.

"It's strong," Buffy informed him as the continued to near "Try not to get punched out across the alley like me"

"I'll bear that in mind" He replied, raising an eyebrow.

"I made Dawn hide between that Dumpster and that pile of boxes. Don't let the Kraal get anywhere near that" She demanded before increasing her speed in time to jump on the back of the Kraal as it punched Illyria to the floor.

Spike watched as Buffy clubbed the demon on the back of the head sending it to the floor next to the ex-God. He ran up to it and stamped it in the face.

"Don't kill it" Buffy instructed "We can use it for questioning"

Spike nodded and kicked it in the face again "Any idea how we're supposed to get it to go beddy-byes?"

Just as he said that a bolt of what looked like electricity surged through the Kraal's body and caused him to shake and spasm. Spike recognized that as he had been on the receiving end of it. Sure enough there was a wire leading off from the demon's chest that led to Angel standing a way away, with Nina and Wes on point. In Wesley's arm was a taser gun.

"I got a few ideas, yeah" Buffy said then looked at Angel "Thanks for the assist"

Angel smiled back "I've always got your back"

Spike turned his back so they couldn't see him and put a finger down his throat indicating he was going to gag.

However, as Dawn crawled out from her hiding place she saw it and chuckled. Spike grinned back.

Wesley fired the taser a few more times until the Kraal was well and truly out. Then he walked over and secured it's hands behind it's back with reinforced handcuffs.

"It would be a good idea if we got him back to Wolfram and Hart's holding cells as soon as possible," Wesley noted "We have no idea how long the effects of the taser will last on him while he is high on Speed Beads"

Dawn giggled at the name.

"Angel, Spike, Buffy," Wesley looked at them each in turn "I think it best if you three carry him. If he wakes up it will be less likely he can make an escape"

"Uh, good idea, Wes" Spike said, pointing at him "But incase you haven't noticed we're not really all the same height – to carry him like a coffin and all that."

The ex-Watcher nodded "Good point…Carry him at your side, holding him like a ladder, or a rolled up carpet. Should do the trick." He smiled

Spike, Buffy and Angel all moved towards the body and then timed it before picking it up and wrapping their arm around him. Angel had the shoulders, Buffy the midriff and Spike the legs. Between them it was pretty evenly balanced.

Illyria and Wesley started off in front of them, Dawn stuck with Nina probably too afraid to be near Illyria.

"Atten' hut!" Spike grinned "Let's get this show on the road"

Angel muttered "It's gonna be a long walk home…"

**A/N: You got some Spuffy, be happy! More next chapter, I solemnly swear. **


	10. Control Freak

**A/N: Thank you all again for the positive reviews!**

Angel slammed the cell door shut and bolted it. The Kraal lay inside still mercifully asleep. Angel's ears were still ringing from having to listen to Spike rambling away the whole walk back to Wolfram and Hart.

Now he stood outside one of the holding cells with Wesley, Buffy, Dawn and Spike. Wesley had handcuffed the Kraal's feet then tied the feet and hand binding together with a length of chain so that the demon couldn't effectively move.

"Now what?" Dawn asked.

"Now, we wait until it wakes up" Angel says "How long is it likely to be, Wes?"

The ex-Watcher looked up "In it's highly unstable state of mind and body I would say at least several hours"

"Damn," Buffy sighed, rubbing her head "It's been a long night. I think Dawn should go to the hotel and get some rest; I'll stay here and make sure that when it wakes it doesn't get out"

"There's no need, I'll put a team on it" Angel replied.

"I'd rather watch myself," She said "Just to make sure. I feel better if there's someone I can trust with this. And I trust myself"

"Right sure" Angel's eyes narrowed "While you're doing that, maybe you can give Giles a call and thank him for all the help he_ didn't_ give Fred"

Buffy watched as the vampire turned on his heel and walked out of the door. Everyone in the room had collectively held their breath, minus Spike. Buffy sighed. She had no real idea what Angel was talking about but she was going to make sure she asked Giles about it. Whatever it was, it had gotten Angel pretty mad.

Dawn cleared her throat "So, you want be to go back to the hotel?"

"Yeah, I'd be grateful if someone took her" Buffy said.

"I will –" Spike started.

"No, you stay here and help Buffy keep watch," Wesley patted him on the shoulder, looked him in the eye pointedly "I will take Dawn home"

Wesley placed his hand on Dawn's lower back and guided her out of the room before following. Buffy rolled her eyes and sat on a chair. It was obvious what her old Watcher was trying to do. To get Buffy and Spike to reconcile. She pulled the chair around to face the cell with the Kraal in it.

She was aware of Spike still standing behind her and off to the left. He rocked from foot to foot, the leather of his boots and duster creaking, the scent of tobacco and cigarette smoking entering her nostrils.

He cleared his throat and then took up a position leaning against the wall, arms folder, one foot up on the wall behind him. He was also concentrating all of his attention on the Kraal. Buffy took this time to study him out of the corner of her eye. He looked the same as he had back in Sunnydale, which wasn't surprising since he never aged. Still, there was something _different_ about him. Buffy put her finger on it almost immediately.

Spike was happy.

She remembered his playing around on the radios, the way he was included in group discussions fully, his obvious like for this girl "Fred" – she could see it in him every time he looked at Illyria. Spike had friends here, real friends and they treated him as equal. Sure, he still sniped at Angel but Buffy could tell that the two of them were bonding in a way. They worked well together, as a team they functioned pretty much as a unit.

Spike had never really had that back in Sunnydale. The gang had never fully accepted him, always been slightly reluctant to include him in anything. They had fought well together though, Buffy and he, but it had been a long time coming before they had trusted each other enough. Just when it all seemed to be changing for the better he had died.

And now he had this whole new life. A better life.

Buffy had seen him smile more times in the short while she had been back in L.A then in the whole last year in Sunnydale.

She was glad for him, she really was but there was still a small, stupid, selfish part of her that was upset by the whole thing. That he could find happiness here so quickly when he had never fully had it in Sunnydale. With her.

"Are you gonna stare at me all night, or what?" Spike said, trying to sound casual and disinterested but failing.

Buffy felt a hot flush creep up her neck, looked away back to the cage "Maybe. I guess I'm just trying to figure out how you could be such an idiot"

"Oh, _I'm _the idiot?" Spike pushed off the wall, standing straight, and pointed at her "How do you figure?"

She turned her face to him "You must be an idiot. I mean, who comes back from the dead and then just doesn't bother to tell the people they supposedly care about?"

"Look, it wasn't like that…I…I can't explain it to you," Spike said, rubbing his head "But there were valid reasons for me. And…the longer I put it off the harder it was to do"

Buffy rolled her eyes and turned back to the Kraal in the cage. She crossed her legs and folded her arms – the picture of Ice Queen cool. Spike began to pace behind her, the way an anxious dog would when it wanted to get outside. William the Bloody obviously wanted to leave.

"Why don't you just go? I can handle this without you" She said coolly.

"Of course you can. Miss. Control Freak"

Buffy stood and turned to him glaring "Maybe I'm a control freak because I need to be! To do my job!"

"And what's that then? You're one of many Slayers now, you could give it up completely" Spike stepped closer to her "But you don't because you're afraid to feel useless. Slayer blood is pumping through your veins and you gotta keep doing it so you can keep getting the rush you get from killing the bad guys"

"Nothing wrong with that, it's better than working for them"

Spike snorted "Yeah, sure. Except you always have to go it alone"

"It's safer that way"

"No, you mean it's easier," He stepped into her again "It's easier for you to be alone. That way you don't have to worry about losing someone you give a damn about"

"And you're saying that's a bad thing? That I want to protect the people I love?"

"No, it's not but maybe sometimes you could let them protect you for once," Spike shook his head "Or at least stand side by side with you"

"What are you even talking about? I fight along side my friends, we fought together…" Buffy looked at him.

Spike leaned into her face, looking her deep in the eyes as he whispered "I'm not just talking about in battle"

Buffy looked back at her for a few moments. His close proximity was producing feelings she didn't need to be having right now.

She placed her hands on his chest and shoved him back a couple of steps "There's a little thing called personal space, ever heard of it?"

"Sure, I've been in yours," Spike remarked crudely, smirking.

The Slayer pulled her fist back and let is land right on the mark. Spike's nose.

Spike stumbled back a step. Looked at her. Then punched her right back.

**A/N: Oh my! (aren't my author notes just so useful and informative?)**


	11. By Order of the Boss

**A/N: I left you on a bit of cliffhanger last time. Which, I do so love to do. Thanks for all of the feedback.**

Buffy was taken unaware by the punch and she fell backwards into the bars of the cage that held the Kraal at bay. Her hand fluttered up to her chin where he had punched her. She recovered from the surprise and let her hand fall back to her side. Spike looked at her, cautious as to her next move. Buffy stood up straight, clenched and unclenched her fist, loosening the muscles, readying herself.

"Nice to know some things haven't changed" She said calmly.

Spike took half a step towards her then stopped, tilted his head, "Oh, yeah? How's that?"

"You, me," Buffy began to circle him "Fighting our issues out like mature adults"

"When it comes to each other we're not all that mature, Buffy"

"I'd noticed"

He turned around, watching her as she circled, arched an eyebrow "We could always sit down, half a cup of tea and a crumpet"

"Or, we could stop talking," Buffy lifted her hands up into a defensive stance "And I could start kicking your ass"

A spontaneous smile broke out on his face and he motioned her to come and try to do just that. She narrowed her eyes.

In a flash she punched out at him. Spike blocked it triumphantly. He was so happy about the block he failed to notice her foot coming up and kicking him hard in the abdomen. Spike literally went flying backwards, hitting the wall hard and sliding to his ass on the floor. He shook his head, dazed, as pain ran up his back.

Buffy strolled up to him and kicked out at his face. He grabbed her foot at the very last second and pushed hard on it, making her overbalance. She felt to the floor. Spike got into a crouch and leapt at her.

Buffy rolled out of the way and Spike landed face first on the floor. She flipped herself back up into a standing position, looked down at him.

"That all you got, Spikey?"

"You know better than that, Slayer" Spike stood, slowly, grinning "I've got a _lot_ to offer"

She lifted her feet "Funny, 'cos all I'm seeing is a vampire who's all talk and no action"

Spike laughed and took the challenge in a heartbeat. He punched out at her. She blocked it. He punched again. She blocked it again.

Spike leapt up high in the air and aimed a killer roundhouse kick at her head. Buffy ducked then grabbed his leg as it flew over her head. She ran forward, holding his leg and Spike hopped backwards like a bunny.

He growled and threw himself to the floor, used his foot that she held captive, to launched over him and into the wall behind.

Buffy struck the wall with her back, upside down. Her head hit the floor first then she fell flat on her back on the floor, the wind knocked out of her, and stars spinning around her head.

"How's that for action, love?" Spike asked, picking himself up.

Buffy lifted her head, painfully "Room for improvement, Spike"

---------------------

Gunn walked into Angel's office, saw the vampire sitting watching a monitor.

"What's so interesting?"

He walked around to the side of the desk to look over his shoulder. There on the monitor were the Slayer and Spike duking it out big time. They seemed to be pretty evenly matched but Gunn knew, from what he had heard about her, that the Slayer could take out Spike and Angel. That made her worthy of some respect, and fear, from his point of view.

Gunn saw Spike take a particularly vicious snap kick to the jaw and winced.

"Shouldn't we call in a security team to break this up?" He asked, looking at Angel.

Angel did not take his eyes of the screen "From what Dawn and Giles tell me, this is how they work out their issues"

"By beating the crap out of each other?"

"Yep"

"Besides, it's refreshing to watch her beating the crap out of Spike," Angel smiled "I missed this"

Gunn arched an eyebrow "To each his own, I guess"

---------------------------

Spike's face snapped left as Buffy punched him. He chuckled and then caught her fist the next time she tried to hit him.

"This it just like old times, isn't it?" He reveled in it, grabbing hold of her other arm and swinging her around into the bars of the cells.

"Sure," Buffy kneed him in the balls "Me, beating you up. You losing hopelessly. Just like the old days"

She grabbed the lapels of his jacket and swung him around, slamming his back even harder into the bars of the cell. Spike was still recovering from the hit to the groin. She pinned him where he was and moved in close.

"You wanted me to let people get closer to me, so here I am, entertain me" Buffy glared at him, eyes narrowed, body thrumming with the energy of a good fight.

Spike reached up and stroked his hand down her face "I missed you"

Buffy blinked, glanced down at his hand then back up into his blue eyes. Her face was a picture of confusion. The Slayer suddenly became aware of how close she was standing to him. Their chests pressed together she could even feel Spike's heart not beating. The cold of his skin seeped through his T-shirt and into her. Cold as death.

She tried to think of something cutting to say, something appropriate to what she was feeling.

So, she said the only thing she could.

"I missed you too"

At that moment a swat team broke through the door and surrounded them.

"By order of the boss, back away from each other!" One of the men shouted.

**A/N: Good ol' Angel, always there to ruin a moment! Review, because you know I love it when you do! (I even rhymed for ya)**


	12. Good Plan

**A/N: Thanks for all the feedback. Oh, I know - that pesky Angel!**

Buffy saw Spike roll his eyes and felt the same urge come over her own face but she thought it back. After all, someone had to be mature in these things. The man who had shouted repeated the order and Buffy put her hands up in the air and took a step back, turning to face them real slow. She looked over them. Four average joes, well-built and probably corn-fed, decked out in full black body armor with helmets and, most pressingly, rifles. Buffy knew she could take them but why bother? It would just cause a lot of unwanted and unneeded animosity. Besides, they hadn't done anything _really_ threatening yet. Just following orders.

Buffy turned to look at the camera in the corner of the hall; she glared "Angel, call off your goons. Spike and I were just talking….okay, there was some hitting involved –"

"Ponce needs to curb that jealously of his," Spike smirked leaning back against the cage, glancing over the SWAT team "So, you boys can just run along and –"

His clever retort was cut off when he made a loud, and rather unpleasant gagging sound. Buffy turned to face him quickly. Her eyes widened.

The Kraal stood on the other side of the cage door, it's arm was looped through the bars and was encircling Spike's neck pinning him against the door. Buffy saw the reinforced handcuffs dangling from it's wrists. She looked down and saw that the handcuffs on his ankles were also broken. So much for reinforced.

Buffy took a step towards the cell and the SWAT team lifted their guns.

"Don't move!" The Kraal roared "Don't move or I decapitate this scrawny half-breed"

Buffy stopped abruptly and she motioned to the men to lower their guns. They shook their heads and she gave them a very threatening look. Slowly, they lowered the guns.

"Scrawny?" Spike gasped and spluttered "Why, I oughta…"

The Kraal tightened it's grip "Shut up. Now, you" He looked at Buffy "Let me out of this cage now"

Buffy shrugged slowly "No can do"

"Do it! Do it or I kill your boyfriend"

"I don't have the key" Buffy said slowly and carefully, not making any sudden moves "And he's not my boyfriend. I don't care if you rip his head off. So, you might as well just let him go or you'll get shot by those guys"

The Kraal shook his head, spittle emerging from his mouth "No! No! If you don't care maybe I'll just do you a favor and rip the sucker's head off!"

Spike gagged as the demon pulled him up further. The tip of his toes brushing against the floor. He looked at Buffy, fear in his eyes. Buffy looked back, keeping her face blank. She then turned her attention to the Kraal.

"You do that and you won't have a shield any more and these guys will still kill you," Buffy explained simply "So, either way you're screwed. But if you let him go we can talk about this"

"No!" The Kraal roared "Don't play with me, woman!"

The Slayer sighed "Fine. I get it. You're mad. You're bad. I thought you were supposed to be super strong, being all strung out on your alternative to crack? So, why not just rip the bars off the cell and leave?"

The Kraal narrowed it's eyes "My strength is drained. I can't. But, don't worry, I still have enough in me to dispose of this garbage" it said looking down at Spike.

"So, the Speed Beads have an expiration point then, how long are they good for?"

"I will not tell you" The demon said, "I will not tell you anything. Now let me go"

"Sorry can't do that"

Buffy turned to the source of the voice. Angel. He walked into the room, waved his SWAT team back a little. He took centre stage, standing next to Buffy as if they were united and the tension between them wasn't even there. He was showboating. Buffy played along, presenting a united front.

"You're not getting out of that cell" Angel told him "I'm CEO of Wolfram and Hart, one pathetic vampire means nothing to me"

Spike glowered.

"In fact" He turned to the SWAT team "Shoot him"

"Sir?" The team leader questioned.

"Shoot the Kraal. Go through the vampire, if you have to"

"Yes sir,"

"Angel, what are you doing?" Buffy asked quietly "He'll rip Spike's head off"

The dark-haired vampire didn't even look at her. The men lined up their guns. The Kraal tightened his grip on Spike so much that his eyes bulged and his face was turning red. Even though he didn't need to breath, a crushed windpipe would be a bitch to have.

"Let me go!" The Kraal yelled

Angel whispered in the team leader's ear and the man nodded, he then looked at the Kraal "You're going to tell us _everything_ you know about Speed Beads. Who deals them, the original source, where we can find and destroy the stashes. Everything"

"No way in hell!" The demon replied, narrowing it's eyes "You think you scare me? Mr. Shiny Leather Jacket, Coiffed Hairdo Guy? Not even. The guys dealing in this stuff are ten times…no, one hundred times scarier than you, pretty boy"

Even through his pain Spike could be heard choking up a laugh.

Angel morphed into vamp face "That so?"

"Ooh, I'm shaking. A vampire" The Kraal mock-trembled "Please, mommy! Help me!"

"I'm the vampire that's gonna rip you limb from limb, but not before I have some _real_ fun with torturing you" Angel growled "And then after that, I'll lock you up in the basement of this complex, in a tiny cell, and keep you alive forever like that. Not moving. Not seeing anything but an empty corridor. Trust me; what you've got now will be luxury"

Buffy looked at Angel. She knew he was acting. Or, at least, she hoped he was. It was far too close to Angelus-speak for her liking. Still, she was a warrior of action herself and she knew in times of great danger drastic things had to be done. Even so, she couldn't imagine ever doing that. Angel had changed a lot since Sunnydale. Or maybe he had always been like this and had just hidden it from her fearing that it would scare her away.

Buffy was pretty sure it might have done just that.

The Kraal paused, looking around at Buffy then Angel, to the armed guards "No dice!"

He yanked on Spike's neck. Everything went slow-motion to Buffy. She started to run towards them. Angel yelled out 'Now!', The SWAT team fired at once.

Buffy ground to a halt to avoid the flying bullets, she hit the floor.

Spike's body shook as the bullets riddled him. The Kraal staggered backwards letting go of him. Spike keeled forward, falling to his knees on the floor.

"That bloody hurt!" He proclaimed before pitching forward onto the floor face-first.

Buffy sat half-up, looked at Angel "Good plan. I think that worked out real well"

Angel pouted.

**A/N: I think that worked out rather well to, don't you? Reviews make me weep with joy!**


	13. Nurse Duty

**A/N: Poor injured Spikey. I do hope someone takes pity on him…**

Spike stood very slowly, wincing as daggers of pain racked his whole body. Trust Angelus to get him all shot up just for the hell of it. He slumped against the wall and gritted his teeth, keeping a brave face on. Sure, it wouldn't kill him but that didn't mean it didn't hurt like hell.

Buffy appeared next to him suddenly. She placed a hand on his forearm "You okay?"

Spike looked at her, tried to stand up straight but just ended up falling back into the wall "Well, apart from the small fact of my guts being full of metal, I'll do fine"

Angel and his team of medics were standing in the cell with the Kraal who was lying face down on the floor. The SWAT guys stood close by ready to shoot if the demon somehow miraculously got up again and lunged for their employer.

The doctors said something in a hushed voice to the dark-haired vampire. He nodded.

Angel turned to Buffy and Spike "The Kraal's alive"

"Really? 'Cos it looks kinda dead" Buffy replied.

"Seems half a dozen bullets isn't enough to kill it," He replied "We're gonna take it up to the hospital wing, in one of the high security rooms"

"Better luck with it this time, mate" Spike spat, narrowed eyes.

Angel sighed, shook his head "I didn't think he would really try and tear your head off. And, anyway, stop being such a baby about it. You've been shot before. We both have"

"Oh, so that's alright then?" Spike stood upright slowly, trying to keep balance "I don't expect a supposed good guy to order his mates to shoot me like I'm a clay bloody pigeon"

Angel's jaw tightened but he turned away back to his medics and his toy soldiers. Spike slumped back against the wall, half bent over almost. He needed some painkillers, not that they would be real effective on his dead body. He racked up a cough. A glob of blood fell onto the floor in a splatter by Buffy's foot.

She moved her hand up from his arm to place on his back. There she rubbed her hand gently in circles in a soothing way that you might use if your best friend was tossing cookies all over your carpet.

"I think we need to get those bullets out of you," Buffy said gently, leaning down so that her face was level with his "The ones that didn't go all the way through, I mean"

Spike turned his blue eyes to her "You volunteering for nurse duty?"

"Yeah, you think I'd look good in the uniform?" She asked, striking a pose.

He laughed, then clutched his side as pain shook him "Oh, yeah. I need to see that before I die"

"If you're lucky," Buffy replied, "Come on, let's go and play doctor. I've been told I'm a pro"

Spike grinned again and shook his head slightly. How the Slayer could go from completely hating his guts to something close to flirting he couldn't quite understand. Still when she lifted his arm and placed it over her shoulder for support he really didn't care.

She motioned with her head the way for them to go. Spike leaned on her and hobbled away out of the holding cell room and down the corridor. They reached a room. It was a lab. Buffy checked it and found it empty. Walking inside they started to close the door when they heard Angel.

"You don't want to wait for the Kraal to wake up?" Angel asked as he appeared at the doorway, looking at Buffy.

She moved away from Spike and walked further into the room, standing by a gurney "Is he coming round anytime soon?"

"Well, I don't know, uh, maybe…"

"Then I think I've got time to tend to Spike's war wounds" Buffy arched an eyebrow "Right?"

Angel looked from Buffy to Spike and back again "Well, I can get a medic on that –"

"No, s'quite alright, mate" Spike grabbed both of the doors "Slayer's on the case. See you…a lot later"

Spike winked before he closed the door on Angel's scowling face.

He turned back around and found Buffy standing there, shaking her head but with a small smiled on her face.

"I see you two are still best friends" She remarked.

Spike shrugged "It's so easy to piss him off it would be a crime not to"

"Sure," Buffy patted the gurney "Up here, target guy"

He hobbled over, grateful to finally have some real alone time with the Slayer and since she wasn't beating him up this encounter may be more productive. Not that their little spats weren't. In fact, fighting was usually how they worked out their issues and got past them. Odd, that.

Spike shrugged off his duster, throwing it on a near-by chair before he slid onto the gurney.

"Shirt" She said.

"What about it?" He replied, wryly.

"Off" Buffy instructed "And don't give me any more lip"

"Check; no lips" Spike smirked as he slipped his T-shirt off with great difficulty and much pain.

Buffy let out a small sound of sympathy. He looked down at himself and saw at least seven bullet entry wounds; he didn't know how many exit wounds there would be. Chances were a few of them were stuck in him.

She walked around to stand behind him. Spike listened carefully, hearing the pounding of her blood as it rushed around her body. He smiled. She was so alive, so warm, so…not like him. He sighed, looked down at his boots as he scuffed them against one another.

He was jolted out of his momentary depression when her hand touched lightly against his shoulder blades. Spike turned rigid at the surprise contact then instantly eased into a relaxed, content posture. Buffy ran her hand down his back, he closed his eyes. Her heated skin felt good against his cool back.

Spike smiled again as he heard her heartbeat pick up, just slightly, but it was enough to please him. Seemed things weren't one way, like he had feared.

"I only see four exit wounds on this side," Buffy said finally "Meaning there's gotta be three still stuck inside you"

"Oh, joy" Spike breathed.

The Slayer moved around in front of him and Spike mourned the loss of her skin on his. She looked around the lab, making a sort of 'ah ha!' sound. Buffy turned back to him brandishing long, painful looking tweezers.

"Careful with them, Slayer," He watched her as she approached "You could take someone's eye out with them"

Buffy arched one perfect eyebrow "Amongst other things"

Spike pursed his lips and looked at her, laughter glittering in his eyes. She smiled, slightly, and only for a moment but it made his un-beating heart almost thump. Buffy came to stand in front of him and then she leaned down.

"I'd keep still," She advised "This is gonna hurt"

"Yeah, you don't say"

Buffy leaned one hand on his shoulder to steady herself, then taking a breath, plunged the tweezers into one of the bullet holes. Spike bit down on his lip but a deep groan escaped followed by a wince. The metal implements ripped through his already ragged skin, poking and prodding.

Then, they were out.

Buffy held up the bloody bullet in her instrument of torture, she looked at it then past it to his eyes.

"Sorry" She whispered "I guess I'm not exactly Dr. Quinn"

"Better than the last time I got shot up like this"

"Oh?"

"Yeah, me and Angelus had to take on a mob of mightily pissed off cowboy-types"

She leaned in to him again, to take out another bullet "And what did you do to them?"

"Well, Angel had it off with one of their daughter's, didn't he?" Spike winced as she started to operation all over again.

"Why do I get the feeling there's more to this story?"

"Also he killed the girl"

"Ah, of course"

"So, then we were out drinking in the local pub and all these John Wayne wannabes started tearing up the place, got real trigger-happy" Spike gritted his teeth through the pain "'Course that left Angel and me hiding out in some dingy rat-infested house, digging out the bullets with broken bottle bits"

Buffy looked up at him wide-eyed "Ow. Hope you had something to dull the pain. Actually, no I don't, you were both evil then. Pain is good"

"Sometimes it is, pet" Spike gave her a smirk "But the broken bottles? Well, they had been filled with whiskey. We had to drink it all to give us some pain relief. Didn't bloody work too well"

She yanked out another bullet "Well, I have to say you deserved it that time"

"And this time?"

"This time…" Buffy blew out a breath, paused, "This time no. You're a good man. Even _if_ you are still way too pushy. Also, you punched me"

"You punched me too" Spike responded "It's what we do. That and shag"

Buffy shook her head, but she wore a smile on her face "So, that's what we boil down to, is it? Violence and sex"

"Two of my favourite things," He chuckled "Yours too, if you're honest"

The Slayer let out a non-committal sound and leaned down to him for the last time. Then she would be off, running and fighting, kicking evil's ass and he would be left behind. So, best to make the most of these moments. Spike looked down at the back of her head, which was right under his nose. He could smell her shampoo, her perfume, just _her._ He took in a deep lungful of it and sighed.

Spike was aware of the hand she had on his shoulder to keep her balanced as she set about her makeshift operation. The blood pulsing through her hand seemed to penetrate his skin. He could feel her pulse within him and for a moment it felt as if maybe it was _his_ pulse.

Spike felt his hand lift in mid-air. He was thinking about touching her, about seeing if she would allow him to. His hand wavered. She had missed him. She had said it, not even half an hour ago. If she really meant that, then in what way had she missed him? In a friendly way? Something more? He would take whatever he could get. Of course, that didn't mean he wouldn't still prefer the latter option.

There was really only one way to find out. As Buffy pulled the last bullet from him, he knew it was now or never.

Spike lifted his hand and placed it on the side of her face, brushing her hair back behind her ear. Buffy lifted her head slowly and their faces were level. She was expressionless. He fought to keep his face just as blank.

Spike's thumb slid around slowly, carefully, to brush against her lips. They were so soft, so ripe. As if they were just waiting to be kissed. He flickered his gaze from those lips back up to her eyes. She was watching him. Not stopping him, but not falling into his arms either.

He tilted his head, regarded her. Buffy blinked, and just when he thought that was going to be it; just this vacant look, he saw slight movement. Spike could have sworn that she had _almost_ taken a step forward into him but she was fighting to make it look like she hadn't moved an inch.

It was time to be bold.

Spike leaned forward, slow, giving her enough time to punch him in the nose and run back to Rome. She didn't. She did not stop him.

He closed his eyes as he neared her. Could smell her sweet scented breath, the make-up on her face, the perfume dabbed around her slender throat…

He kissed Buffy Summers.

Pressing his lips to hers, the softness of it all was like coming home and Spike hadn't had a home for a long time. He sighed blissfully.

Buffy's hands were on his shoulders, sliding around his neck. He buried his hand underneath her hair against the back of her neck. Bringing her closer, more urgent.

There was a knock at the door.

Spike was all for ignoring it. Unfortunately Buffy jolted and jumped back. He let out a groan and slumped down onto the gurney in defeat. Still, a kiss. He was soon grinning again.

The door opened and Gunn's voice said "Sorry to bust the party. Kraal's awake. One of the lab techs shot him with some kind of adrenaline stuff for demons"

Spike sat up slowly.

"Right, good" Buffy nodded, running her hands through her hair "Demons. Right. Uh. Okay"

She turned and strode out of the door.

Gunn turned and looked at Spike, raising his eyebrows. Spike just smiled like the cat that got the cream.

**A/N: Well, I did promise you more Spuffy. Surely, that will tide you over for, oh, at least five minutes?**


	14. Touched by a Hand to the Heart

**A/N: Can I write a story without cliffhangers? Frankly, no! They're just too fun. Oh and this chapter is rated "R" for a little violence.**

The first thing Buffy saw as she entered the high-security hospital cell was that the Kraal was indeed awake. He was thrashing around against his bindings and the several security team and doctors trying to subdue him. He was also foaming at the mouth, either in rage or due to some after-effects of the Speed Beads.

Angel was in the room, standing near the bed and saying something to the demon that Buffy couldn't hear over all the commotion. Illyria stood in the corner of the room watching the show with very little interest, or at least trying to make it look like she did not care.

Angel turned and caught glimpse of her "Buffy,"

"That's me" She said, walking slowly up to him.

As she crossed the floor towards the vampire Buffy felt like everything went slow motion. She found herself thinking of another vampire. A vampire who she had been kissing only minutes before. It brought a flush to her face and she fought to keep control of it. Angel knowing about this would only complicate things further and she _really_ did not want that. So, Buffy told herself not to think about Spike and what had just happened; she still wasn't sure what to make of it herself. Best to wait till things cool down to get all introspective.

"He's a little jumpy" Angel remarked, motioning over to the Kraal.

"A little," She nodded "Must be the come down from the drugs"

Angel sighed "We really need to keep him still if we're going to question him"

Buffy walked wordlessly up to the small group trying to hold the demon down. She pushed past them and slammed one hand down against his shoulder. The Kraal hit the gurney with an audible thump. She pinned him there and gritted her teeth as he struggled against her. He was damned strong.

Angel smiled "Thanks, just what was needed"

"You could've done it"

He shook his head "I tried. He threw me across the wall"

"Oh" Buffy's eyebrow arched, then she turned back to the demon "Hey, mister. You got a name?"

He growled it at her "Herb"

"Herb as in Herbert!" Her eyes widened.

"Yeah, what's so funny?"

"No…no, _Herb_, nothing…" Buffy said then her eyes hardened "Where do you get the drugs from, or actually, who. No, wait. Both. First who then where. Or maybe –"

"I think I should question him" Angel patted her shoulder.

Buffy pouted "Well, fine. Use me for the grunt work"

"Ooh, sounds like my idea of a good time" Spike announced himself as he walked through the open door.

The Slayer felt her "Spidey Sense" react to him. A shiver ran up her spine and her back and shoulders straightened. She was betting it wasn't just because he was a vampire. It was because he was Spike. She set her jaw tightly and stared at a spot on the wall ahead, not looking back at him. Neutral was the way to go. Oddly Giles voice entered her head _Keep tense, act like a commander, the warrior you're meant to be. Do not let him sway you from the job at hand!_

Of course he chose that moment saunter up behind her to peek over her shoulder at Herb she assumed. Buffy reacted instinctively driving an elbow back hard into his gut and then slamming the back of her fist up into his face.

Spike cried out and sagged to the floor, in a heap. Buffy's eyes widened again and she spun around.

"Spike! Oh, God" She knelt down quickly beside him "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to,"

Buffy put a hand shakily on his arm.

He was cupping his nose in his hand, after a second he shook his head, eyes lighting up again "S'alright"

"No, it's really not"

"Shouldn't have sneaked up on you"

"You didn't, not really" Buffy sighed, looked down at the floor "I just overreacted, as usual…"

While she was busy apologizing Herb decided it was time to make a break for it. He reared up straining at his bindings. Buffy started to get up to stop him but knew she would be to slow. Just as she thought that a blur past her by, leaving only a breeze to brush her hair against her face.

Illyria slammed the demon down onto the gurney, pinning him there with one hand placed on the centre of Herb's chest. She didn't seem to be applying much pressure, for her standards anyway, and her eyes were coldly looking into the Kraal's.

"You will tell who you got the substance from" She said in a hushed but very much dangerous voice.

Buffy stood and reached out a hand to Spike. She kept her eyes on the ex-God though. Spike took her hand and stood next. He didn't let go of her hand.

Angel stood, on the other side of her also transfixed by the blue-haired woman.

Herb glowered "No…way"

Illyria cocked her head, then pressed the tip of one of her fingers against his chest "I am Illyria, you will tell me willingly or you will tell me as I rip the tongue from your mouth and claw out your worthless heart. Either way you will tell me"

Herb paused, not breathing. Still he said nothing though.

Illyria dug her finger into him and he bucked around on the bed but not much because she was holding him. Buffy watched, captivated in morbid fascination, as the whole of her hand disappeared inside Herb's chest.

He let out scream after scream. Illyria flexed her hand. Herb gasped, it was a severe and chilling sound. Maybe more so then the screams.

"I hold your heart within my hand, one mere squeeze and I will ruin you" She said, voice totally devoid of emotion "Choose now. Painful death or a simple question answered?"

Herb gagged "I…I…"

"Which is it to be, mortal?" She flexed her hand slightly.

His breath caught "I'll…I'll tell you! Oh, please! Ahh, please!"

"Illyria –" Angel started.

"Who supplies the substance?" Illyria asked.

Herb whimpered "The head of us"

"What?" Buffy spoke up again, letting go of Spike's hand to move up alongside the ex-God even though she wasn't too happy about being there.

"The head of the Kraals" Herb whispered.

"What's his name?" Angel asked standing on the other side of Illyria now, looking down at the demon.

"I…Isaac" He wheezed, sweat beading on his forehead as he lay completely still "He lives in the city…I don't know exactly where, I swear that. I get mine from…a bud…a buddy. I do know he doesn't like to slum it though"

Angel paused, thinking it over, turned to Buffy and spoke over Illyria as if she was not there "So, rich places"

"Somewhere they won't be too bothered about seeing a guy that looks like that" Buffy pointed to Herb.

"There's a couple of places that house demons in the good part of town" He said, mostly thinking aloud.

Buffy turned back to Herb "There must be warehouses where this stuff is stored. Where are they?"

"I only know of two…" He made a wet, gagging sound low in his throat "Both here. Not far apart. Used to be used for making…kid's toys"

"I know the places" Angel said "Good we're making progress. Now, where do Speed Bead's come from? I mean, how are they made and by who?"

"I do not know…" Herb rasped "Oh, please, I swear. Help me"

Angel stopped a moment, weighing the options; he turned to Illyria "Let him go"

She did nothing.

"Illyria let him go"

She turned her gaze on him, eyes unblinking. They stared each other down. Buffy tensed, ready to fight if needs be. Then Illyria simply let go of Herb and lifted her bloody hand free. She looked at the hand and then pulled a face of disdain. The hand of a God coated in a lowly demon's blood. How unflattering.

Buffy let out a pent up breath.

Angel grinned at her "Looks like we're finally getting somewhere"

"Let's hope so" Buffy replied not returning the smile, she was too exhausted.

Spike cleared his throat "Well, this is all well and good but the suns coming up. So, I reckon we should all have a nap"

Angel glared at him "Got no stamina, Spike?"

"Oh, I got buckets of it," He grinned, bouncing on the balls of his feet, not even mildly wounded by Angel's insult "Ain't that right, love?" he turned to her.

Buffy rolled her eyes "Boys, boys, boys. I really don't have the energy for this. I vote we get some sleep and then we bust these warehouses tomorrow…or later today"

"Well, then it's decided" Spike slapped his hands together.

Angel spoke up "Since you're tired you could always stay here. I have some guest suites…"

Buffy turned and walked to the door "No thanks. Gotta get back to Dawn and, you know, this place reminds me too much of the mental asylum"

As she left the room she heard Angel utter "Mental asylum?" and then Spike's 'I know something that you don't' laughter followed her down the corridor.

_Men…no, vampires _She sighed.

**A/N: Hey, look no cliffhanger! Unless you count all the repressed sexual tension and stuff… Review please!**


	15. The Shaming of Spike and Angel

**A/N: An all new chapter. Not old at all. **

Spike looked over at Angel and smirked. Then he looked back down at himself and the smirk disappeared, followed by a look of despair. How did he get himself into these messes? Seeing as though he could hardly look in a mirror Spike could only guess on how bad he looked.

He was dressed in skin-tight leather trousers with buckles all the way up the sides of his legs and string tied up at the crotch, big clumpy platform purple shoes and a dark purple silk shirt. The shirt was half undone, showing pretty much all of his chest and half of his stomach, although he had a large gold medallion resting around his neck, not to mention the several gold rings on his fingers. Lorne had also gone to the trouble of spiking his platinum hair up in all directions and spraying him in some god-awful perfume.

He turned to Angel again, finding it a bit hard to actually move in the skintight trousers.

Lorne was still fussing with his boss. The sight was one to behold for sure.

Angel was also wearing tight leather trousers but his were electric blue and a lot shinier than Spike's plain black ones. His shoes were black cowboy boots, with very pointed ends and he wore a black mesh shirt, far too tight, with nothing underneath, showing way too much for Spike's liking.

"Remind me again why we're dressed up as right poofters?" Spike folded his arms, indignant.

Angel turned to him, looking just as despairing as Spike felt "Because this, apparently, will get us in to see Isaac"

"Yeah, how's that again?"

Lorne tsked "I've told you big lugs before. Isaac is a real big name in these parts. He's high profile. Has dozens of connections in the movie industry, amongst others. This is the best way to get you in there to see him"

"Why? He likes men in tight clothes?" Spike grumbled.

"No, because he also sidelines in prostitution. Come on, cream buns, I've been over this," Lorne sighed, throwing his hands up "So, naturally you have to go in dressed to the nines"

"As pimps?" Angel folded his arms too, covering up his far too exposed nipples.

"Bingo!" Lorne grinned "And pimps, well, they've gotta have their _ladies_ too…"

The green demon walked over to the double doors of Angel's office and opened them with a flourish.

"Ta da!" He sang melodically.

Spike and Angel both routinely turned to the open doors, both ready to be less than impressed with what or who Lorne had managed to rustle up.

However, as Dawn and Nina strolled through the door Spike's jaw went slack.

"Dawnie!" He gaped.

Dawn smiled and struck a pose for him. She was dressed in a black dress that reached calf level but had high splits up both legs, it was made from crushed velvet from the looks of it, and the neckline plunged to reveal cleavage, and lots of it. Her hair was loose and curled and she had plenty of make-up on her face, yet it didn't overwhelm her or make her look tacky. She looked, well…

"You look like a woman!" Spike spluttered.

"And you look like a…well, John Travolta on a _very_ bad day" Dawn noted.

He pointed at her, still wide-eyed "No, no, no. We are…we are not taking along the Niblet. It's not right!"

"Oh, Spike, shut up" Dawn walked over and sat down on the couch, crossing her legs and flashing _too_ much thigh, so much so that he had to look away "I _am_ a woman. I can be useful for this"

"No, look….no"

"Good reply"

"Angel, tell her" Spike demanded.

When he didn't get an answer he looked around and saw the vampire staring at his girlfriend in frozen shock. Spike had been so busy being surprised by Dawn's appearance he hadn't taken the time to have a look at Nina much at all.

She wore a white dress that showed even more cleavage than Dawn's. It seemed to be spun of silk and dusted the floor, almost as if she was going for a night out at the Oscar's. Her blonde hair was soft and fell around her shoulders endearingly. Spike had to admit she was on fire tonight. He gave her the once over more than, well, once.

"Oh, so it's all right for her to be here, huh?" Dawn said, drawing his attention back to her.

Spike looked at her, in the eyes, "She wasn't sixteen only a few years ago"

Dawn stood slowly and walked over to him, in a calm and confident stride, she stood right in front of him as she said "What's the matter, having inappropriate thoughts?"

Spike jumped back "No! Please, that's not even an issue!"

"Then no harm in me coming along, right?" She beamed.

"Angel, you're the boss. Tell her" Spike gave him a shove.

He blinked and looked over at Dawn, his eyes widened again "Yeah, uh, Dawn, I'm not so sure if that's a good idea. What with you being so young and all…"

"Angel, don't even" She held her hand up "You were dating, and sleeping with, Buffy when she was younger than I am today"

Spike nodded, seeing her point.

Angel cleared his throat "Yes, let's bring that up now" he muttered sarcastically.

"Ah ha! Speaking of big sis, I have a hard time believing that she approved this –" Spike started.

"Stupid shoes of mine!" Came the voice just outside in the hallway "Oh, sure, like I'm not having a hard enough trouble with the heels – I now gotta be falling out of my dress too? Well thank you so much!"

Buffy stumbled through the door "Lorne, I don't think this dress is working for…"

She looked up. Saw Spike and Angel. Burst out laughing.

Spike may have felt incensed enough at her obvious mocking to respond back with a jibe of his own, if his heart hadn't leapt up into his throat and his head didn't suddenly feel like it was in a whirlpool.

Because the woman before him was Buffy Summers.

And she was beautiful.

Even as she laughed, Spike couldn't help but take her in with his eyes. A goddess she was indeed.

Her dress was the colour of freshly spilt blood; its neckline was split right down to her navel revealing a long line of her tanned flesh. No wonder she was having issues with staying in the dress. Spike couldn't help but let his gaze linger there before moving on. The dress reached past her knees, it was cut asymmetrically so that it bared one leg all the way up to mid-thigh. She has red heels on her feet that showed her cute little toes off, she was adorable. Adorable and sexy. Was it possible to be both?

"Guys, if you're not careful you'll catch bugs in your mouths" Dawn pointed out.

Spike blinked, his trance broken.

Buffy grinned "You two look pretty. 70's convention in town?"

"Uh…uh…yeah, hey" Spike cleared his throat, looking over to Lorne "How come we have to be dressed up as stereotypical pimps and they just get to look like _that_"

Lorne walked over next to Buffy, fussing with her dress "When you see Isaac you'll know why"

"Yeah, Lorne I _so_ can't walk in these shoes" She said "Maybe it would be a better idea if I help Gunn and co with the destroying of the warehouses"

"What? And waste a body like that on explosions? I think not!"

Spike took a step forward, his leather creaking "Buffy, bringing Dawn on this mission – you think that's such a good idea?"

Buffy looked up from where she had been primping her dress "Dawn's an adult now. She can handle this"

"Told ya" Dawn chimed in.

"Well, if you say so"

"Angel, aren't you going to introduce us?" It was Nina who spoke.

Spike looked from her and then back to Buffy and his smirk was back in place. He leaned against the wall ready to see the Great Poofter's next move. _Should be interesting._

Angel paused "Right. Buffy this is Nina, Nina this is Buffy"

Nina crossed the floor and held out her hand "Nice to meet you, I've heard…not much about you actually"

"Hi," Buffy took her hand, shook it and smiled "I've heard absolutely nothing about you"

"Right. He's a pretty cryptic guy" Nina remarked, motioning to Angel.

"Yeah, understatement of the year"

They both laughed. Spike watched them from his vantage point. Angel had a thing for blondes, he just realised.

Angel cleared his throat "Uh, Buffy…Nina is…she's…"

Spike watched, eager for the big reveal.

"…she's a werewolf!" He finished.

Spike chuckled. _Coward._

Nina looked at Angel, a slight scowl on her face before she turned back to Buffy with a smile "Yeah. You're not gonna _slay_ me are you?"

"Nah, in fact I have a friend who's a werewolf"

"Really?"

"Yeah. He's a good guy"

Spike took a step forward "I _really_ hate to interrupt the girly chat and all, but shouldn't we be making a move?"

"Yeah, we really should. Everyone ready?" Angel asked.

Lorne held his hands up "Wait! I haven't given you fellas the finishing touches yet"

Spike and Angel looked at one another.

Ten minutes later they stood in the elevator. Buffy, Dawn and Nina stood behind them in a row. Spike was now kitted out with a shiny gold coat that reached his knees and he held a cane in one hand, with a polished vipers head as the handle.

Angel had a big, puffy white fur coat on, and a purple hat on his head with a feather sticking out of it. His finishing touch was a fat cigar in his mouth.

The girls stood behind them trying not to snigger.

Spike reached over the press the button down.

His leather trousers squeaked.

The girls burst out into rapturous laughter.

Angel and Spike were shamed.

**A/N: It's good to review. Cleanses the soul. **


	16. Top Class Merchandise

**A/N: Hello. Thanks for all the positive feedback. Who knew P.I.M.P's could be so entertaining?**

Sitting in the back of a stretch limousine with her sister, a werewolf and Angel and Spike looking like Snoop Dogg rejects was a surreal experience. Not to mention that she was worried that any minute gravity was going to take effect and she would come spilling out of her dress, flashing way too much to all those around her. Why exactly did _she_ have to get the dress that showed _way_ too much? That Lorne was so gonna pay when she got back.

She looked over at Dawn who was teasing Spike mercilessly. Angel was looking out of the window, Nina sat next to him was staring at the side of his head as if she wanted to burn a hole in it with just the power of her eyes.

Buffy sat next to Spike and the door. Dawn was across from her, she was nudging Spike with her foot.

"Ya know, I think I've seen those shoes somewhere before" Dawn noted, looking at Spike's fetching platform boots "Oh yeah! Didn't Ginger Spice used to wear a pair just like them?"

Buffy laughed as Spike let out a feral growl.

"Don't make me come over there, Pint-Sized" Spike tried to look threatening.

"Yeah, the whole intimidation thing might work better if you didn't look like Deuce Bigolo"

He frowned "Who?"

"Male gigolo" Buffy finished, grinning.

"Oh, you both think this is so funny, eh? Know what they say, ladies" Spike smiled, slowly "Payback's a bitch"

As the Slayer went to ask him just what he had planned the limo stopped outside a high-rise building that just went up and up and up. She almost physically gulped just because it seemed appropriate. As they all clambered out of the car Buffy was still not entirely certain what the plan was, or if they even really had one.

The air was kind of cold, a cool breeze whipped around her bare shoulders and way too bare cleavage. She found herself wishing she had a snuggly coat like Angel's. Buffy looked over at him _maybe not_. He did look way ridiculous.

Spike stepped out, straightened his shiny coat, pulling the lapels up so they stood straight up "Ladies first"

Buffy turned to him and frowned, he wore a grin that promised scandalous things to come. However, she wasn't about to make it look like it bothered her. So, she took point with Nina and Dawn close behind as they walked through the lobby of the large building with polished marble floors. The receptionist glanced up. She was a demon. A Kraal, but she looked oddly pretty…for someone without a nose and pupils.

Her gaze skated over them all – a mismatched bunch, at best – and she didn't bat an eyelid…assuming she had any to bat.

"Yes, how may I help you?" The Kraal enquired.

Angel leaned on her desk; he had at some stage slipped on some huge sunglasses "We're here to see Isaac"

"Do you have an appointment?"

"No" Spike also leaned on the desk, giving her a winning grin "But we've got some big business to bring his way. Real big. He'd want to know about it sharpish"

The Kraal turned and looked at Buffy, then Nina and Dawn. She paused for a moment then nodded. Used her phone to call up to Isaac presumably. She talked in hushed tones about this and that. When she hung up she gave them a swift nod.

"Top floor"

They moved as a unit towards the elevators, stepping in. Angel pressed the button and the doors slid closed. A collective breath was let out.

"Remember," Angel said softly "that tonight everyone may have to act…or do things they're not comfortable with"

Dawn leaned against the wall of the elevator "Oh, yay"

"So, what are we trying to find out from this demon guy?" Nina asked.

"Where he gets his supply from" Angel said "There's no way it originates with him"

"Why not?"

"He's big but not _that_ big"

Buffy frowned "That sounded kinda skanky"

Dawn nodded.

"So, the plan is to beat the answer out of him?" Spike asked, hopefully.

"If it was, do you think I would have agreed to humiliating myself like this?" Angel scowled at him, then looked away "No. We're going to have to do this with old fashioned bargaining and cunning"

"You have cunning?" Spike seemed doubtful.

Nina nodded "Buckets full"

"If you say so, love"

The elevator came to a halt. They all tensed again. The doors slid open and they were on the roof. Buffy stepped out first followed by the other two women and then the vampires. Los Angeles was beautiful, in an industrial sort of way, especially by night. You could see the stars from here. Still, kind of chilly.

Embedded into the roof was a swimming pool, shaped like a Cadillac from what Buffy could gather. Several sun loungers were scattered about and over by the side of a pool was a man. He seemed to be human, dressed in a white polo shirt and pants, holding a towel.

Isaac was the guy doing the lengths in the pool she had to presume. Or, rather, the demon in the pool. When he saw them he pulled himself up onto the side and stood. The human passed him the towel and he dabbed himself off with it. He looked a lot like Herb except he had a thick gold chain around his neck, several rings and, yes, sunglasses. He swam in the dark with sunglasses on. Oh, and not to mention the fact that he wore a pair of skin tight swimming trunks that were way too short, black and white-striped and showed off more than Buffy wanted to imagine.

"Ah, you must be the people with the 'big business', I assume?" Isaac tossed the towel around his shoulders, pushing the sunglasses down his nose to look at them.

"That's right" Angel said, starting forward.

They all followed. Buffy felt a hand pressed against her back. She glanced over her shoulder and saw it was Spike. Angel and Isaac shook hands and then he did the same with Spike. He never even offered to shake the hands of any of the women, not that Buffy had expected or wanted him too.

A few moments later Buffy found herself with Dawn and Nina standing around three sun loungers. Isaac sat on one, Spike on another and Angel on the last. They hadn't been offered seats.

"So, tell me…" Isaac turned his gaze to the women but it was obvious he was still talking to the vampires "Why have you brought me such delectable treats?"

"Just showing you a sample of what you could be getting if you go into business with us" Spike spoke up "Are you interested?"

Isaac laughed "Am I interested? I have eyes, don't I?"

Both Angel and Spike shared a masculine laugh.

"But I've seen pretty girls before," The Kraal said slowly "And, I don't enter into business with anyone lightly. What makes you two so special?"

Spike stood "I'll field that"

He shrugged his coat off and placed it on the lounger. Spike paused, then walked around behind Buffy, weaved around Nina and came to stand next to Dawn. He slung his arm around her shoulder; Buffy watched; trying not to look like she was going to strangle him. Her hands even started to twitch and she had to grip them.

Dawn for her part just turned to look at him coolly.

"Now, what we've got here, you see," Spike stroked her collarbone "Is something a little bit special. Used to be a mystical key, this one"

Isaac sat up straighter "Key?"

"Could open up dimensions, make them tumble and crumble if you know what I mean"

Buffy noticed Dawn's spine straighten. She was breathing heavily. Buffy looked away. _Freaky, too freaky._

Spike smiled "That and, well, she's pure. If you catch my drift"

"Oh, I think I do" Isaac grinned, eyes roving over her.

_Buffy, I know you want to kick him in the balls and rip his eyes out but calm yourself, girl_ She told herself.

The platinum-haired vampire moved away from Dawn and came to stand in front of Nina; he ran a finger down her cheek "This one is a wild girl"

"Really?" The Kraal grinned.

"Werewolf"

"Ooh"

Buffy glanced over at Angel. His jaw was tightening, his fingers flexing at his side. She looked back over at Spike and Nina. Angel and Nina? Well…she didn't know what to think of that.

Spike laughed dirtily "Yeah, she's a real vicious one. Raw"

"So far I'm liking what I'm seeing" Isaac nodded and then turned his eyes on her "And what about this lovely one?"

Buffy looked straight ahead at the building opposite. She was putting her training into practice. Remain calm. Do not look like you are gonna kick his ass. The Slayer felt Spike come up to her side, felt his body brush against hers.

Then he sat back down on his lounger, sideways so his legs hung off the side.

Buffy frowned.

Spike looked up at her and held his hand out "She's a personal favourite of mine"

Buffy reached out and took his hand. He pulled her suddenly onto his lap. She nearly let out a squeal of disapproval but stopped herself. So, now she was perched on one of Spike's legs way too close to Isaac for comfort.

"What's her power?" The Kraal enquired, "I can feel it radiating off of her"

Spike turned and looked at her, he grinned "Slayer"

"Slayer?"

Buffy looked over at the demon. He seemed very excited at that idea. In fact he was so excited it damn near freaked her out.

Spike nodded "Yeah. And she's as good as you've heard" He placed his finger at the base of her neck.

Buffy swallowed hard as he ran that finger slowly down her collarbone, her chest, in-between her breasts. She felt her breathing pick up. His cold digit made it all the way to her navel, then flicked in and out of that.

Isaac licked his lips "How'd you bag a Slayer?"

"Used my charms, ain't that right?" Spike leaned in and nuzzled her neck, kissed the spot behind her ear.

He placed a hand on her thigh, moved it slowly up her leg, underneath her dress.

Buffy shuddered involuntarily _Note to self; Spike - ass kicking. A.. S. A. P_

"You know…I might consider it if you'd let me sample one of them"

Spike pulled back.

Angel cleared his throat "Ah, but that would be cheating. We want something in return for out transactions"

"And what is that?"

"Speed Beads"

Isaac grinned "Well, why didn't you just say? I'll have some bought up –"

"No. We want a _large_ amount of them. We're not sure you can accommodate us" Angel stood, walked over and stood between Nina and Dawn, sliding an arm around each of their waists "So, in return for our girls, and that will be a steady stream of ones just like these, we want to know something"

The Kraal looked curious "Which is?"

"The original source of the Speed Beads"

He smiled, but his eyes narrowed "In all the excitement I forgot to ask your names? If we do business I should know who I am dealing with"

"Right," Angel nodded "Of course. I'm…Salty Goodness, that is Big Willy"

Buffy bit down on her lip. _Don't laugh. Do. Not. Laugh._

"I see" Isaac stood.

He pulled a cigar out of a small case, lit it and took a puff after spitting the end off. He wandered around Dawn and Nina, turned to Buffy "They are good merchandise"

"Top class"

"Alright. We got a deal" Isaac took a big puff "All I know is that the original source of the Beads is local. In a manner of speaking"

Angel arched an eyebrow "A manner of speaking?"

"Well, they've got branches everywhere"

It dawned on them all.

Angel murmured "Wolfram and Hart"

"Bingo" Isaac grinned "Now, which one of these can I take for a test ride –"

Angel reached out, gripped his head and twisted. Snapping his neck.

The body hadn't even fallen to the floor before he started towards the elevator "Wolfram and Hart!"

**A/N: It's always the quiet ones. Not that WH are particularly quiet… If you review I'll give you a cookie. A cyber cookie. **


	17. Grenades and CellPhones

**A/N: Thank you for all of your reviews. Your cookies are in the mail. Of course, if they don't make it you know it's that cyber mail-man who's been nicking them. **

Of course, halfway descended on their downwards journey the elevator ground to a halt. Spike looked at Angel then Buffy. The Kraals had found out about Isaac and obviously were not best pleased. Wordlessly Buffy and Angel grabbed at the elevator doors and yanked them open, the screams of the doors reverberating through the elevator canal.

They had come to rest halfway between two floors, of course. Buffy told Dawn to crawl up and out onto the floor above.

"No way" Dawn protested "I've seen Final Destination 2! Just as I'm part way through the elevator will hurtle down and chop me up!"

"The longer you wait the more likely that is" Spike growled, giving her a small but firm shove "Now get!"

Dawn let out an indignant snort but nevertheless shimmied in between the small gap with the help of a boost from Buffy. Next was Nina, who had slightly more trouble fitting through. Spike turned to Buffy and motioned her out. She shook her head and pointed for him to go. He shook his head.

"One of you, go!" Angel said harshly.

They both turned to him and as one said "You go"

"No –"

"I need someone to protect Dawn and since I'm staying in here till last and Spike isn't moving, being the stubborn bastard that he is, it's got to be you. Please. They could attack them at any minute" Buffy pleaded.

Dawn's voice could be heard floating down to them "Uh, well, thanks. I'm not nervous enough as it is!"

"Buffy," Angel started.

"Go. It's your girlfriend up there too" She replied.

They looked between each other, a few moments passed in silence. Angel nodded and then he jumped up, hauling himself out from between the floor and the elevator. He got stuck half-way what with his broad shoulders and Spike laughed giving him a sharp kick up the ass to heft him through. Angel let out a growl.

"You next, gropey-guy" Buffy pushed him towards the gap.

He looked at her "You know, I had to do that to –"

"We'll talk about it later"

"In other words you'll beat me up?"

"Oh yeah"

Spike smiled, and started to go for the gap when the elevator screeched and slid down a little causing them both to stumble backwards. It did it again. Buffy yelled at him to hurry up but even as she said it the elevator slid down again. Spike turned and looked at her. They were silent for a moment.

Angel yelled down to them "Buffy!"

"Get Dawn out of here!" She cried.

That was when the elevator cable snapped, or was cut, and they went hurtling down. Both Spike and Buffy screamed, although Spike's was more of a long, drawn out swear word. She slammed into the walls of the lift, from side to side and Spike held onto the railing for dear life, his feet slipped out from underneath him but he managed to stay balanced.

She looked at him as she felt gravity about to swallow them whole.

Spike launched himself at her grabbing her in his arm and holding on tight to the railing with the other, she did the same. As if it would make any difference.

They slid down to the floor, Buffy crushed in the corner with Spike covering her as if trying to protect her to the very last.

When they hit the ground, it seemed that all of the bones jarred in both of their bodies. Buffy bit down on her tongue and her head slammed into one wall of the elevator then the other. Spike careened into her, his skull glancing off her chin and knocking a tooth loose. She felt something in her ankle snap and she screamed.

The compartment rattled and shook. Then it went eerily quiet. Buffy was aware of blood running into her eyes, so that she was partly blind, and that she wasn't unconscious or dead. This surprised her. Her head was slumped onto Spike's shoulder and his face was buried against her neck. He was heavy weight upon her. They both had yet to move.

The electrical light from above fell down and landed next to them, as if it was an afterthought. As though it decided this would be a good time to commit fixture suicide. Buffy felt like giggling at that thought then the pain came back and she really did not feel like giggling.

Still, they had to get out of here. Dawn was up there and the Kraals were after them.

"..Sp...Spike..." Buffy rasped, moving her hand up slowly and shaking his shoulder.

He fell to the floor next to her with a loud thud, his eyes were closed.

Buffy tried to move and her ankle shot with pain. She gritted her teeth and whimpered. It was broken. She'd have to deal.

"Spike" She grabbed his lapels and shook him "Wake up! We...we have to get out..."

Her head felt fuzzy.

Spike's eyelids fluttered open; he blinked, looking up at her confused. Then he looked around and tried to sit up way too fast. He must have been in some considerable pain because he yelled out.

"We have to go. Now" Buffy groaned.

"...Right...go...yes" Spike sat up and stood slowly "Second thought...not"

"We have to. Help me. My ankle...it's broken"

Spike's eyes widened.

He leaned down and helped her stand on one leg. The doors were still open and they had reached the ground floor. Where the secretary seemed to have disappeared. Spike started out with her holding onto him and hobbling. Her whole head felt wrong, there were dots swimming before her eyes. The vampire started towards the door.

"No! Dawn...I have to..."

"She's with Angel and Nina" Spike told her "She'll be fine. We need to get you out of here. To safety"

"I am not leaving without her"

Spike grunted and pulled them over to the door "We have to get to safety, then we will call"

"Spike, she's my _sister_" Buffy looked at him "I'm responsible for her"

"You said it yourself. Angel can take care of her. You are in no fit state to go up against an army of Kraals"

As if on cue the sound of thunderous footsteps came from the stairwell. Spike kicked the door open and forcibly dragged her outside. He started to pull her along but she was lagging due to her leg. Drastic measures were needed. He scooped her up in his arms and ran with her.

"Spike! No!" She grabbed his shirt "I need to get Dawn"

"Right now we need to get out of here"

At that moment several Kraal's came crashing out of the building. Spike ducked down an alley and set Buffy down on her good leg. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a grenade.

Buffy's eyes widened "You have grenades now?"

"Sure as hell beats axes at times like these" He pulled the pin, turned and threw it at the advancing demons then ducked back down the alley.

Moments later the loud explosion trembled the ground and screams were heard, demon screams. Spike peeked his head out as the smoke was clearing. A nice pile of demon bodies. He turned back to Buffy.

"Let's go" Spike said.

"Not yet. Dawn"

Spike sighed, nodded and pulled something else out of his pocket. A cell phone.

Buffy's eyes widened again "You have a cell phone now?"

"Yeah, I've moved into the modern world. Sickening" He handed the phone to her "Angel is speed dial two. You call them while I do some more damage"

He disappeared out of the alleyway and Buffy pressed the button on the phone, holding it against her ear and using her other hand to try and mop some of the blood from out of her eyes.

Angel answered, sounding out of breath which was odd for a vampire "This is a really bad time..."

"Angel! It's me" Buffy sighed in relief.

"Buffy? You're okay?...She's okay!" Angel called and Buffy could hear sounds of footsteps running and voices.

"Is Dawn okay? Angel, is she still...?"

"Yeah, she's fine. Look I can't really talk. We'll meet you back at Wolfram and Hart, okay?"

"Okay" Buffy agreed "How did you get out?"

"Would you be mad if I said I jumped out of the window holding onto both Dawn and Nina?" Angel's voice was strained; the sound of fighting could be heard.

"Yes"

"Then I didn't do that"

"Bye Angel" Buffy rolled her eyes.

"See you at Wolfram and Hart"

He hung up. Buffy slipped the cell phone into her pocket and just as she was about to go hobbling around the corner to help Spike whenthe limo swung down the alley and nearly ran over her. The tires screeched and Spike's head stuck out of the driver's window.

"Get in, m'lady" He grinned.

Buffy hopped over to the back, opened the door and threw herself in wincing at her hurt ankle. She slammed the door shut and the car peeled away again. Buffy heard thumps as things...demons, hit the back of the car.

She closed her eyes, drifted into unconsciousness.

When she awoke again it was in Spike's arms. Not the worst place for a girl to find herself. He leaned down and whispered comforting things into her ear. None of which made sense, they weren't supposed to.

He was carrying her down a hallway and Spike set her down outside a door. She noticed they werebelow ground level of some building. He opened the door with a set of keys and ushered her inside.

Buffy leaned against the wall, her head throbbing. They were in an apartment.

"Is this...yours?" She asked as he closed the door.

"Yeah, courtesy of an evil Texan" Spike shrugged "It's simple but then that suits me just fine. Come on, you need to rest"

"We're meant to be meeting Angel at Wolfram and –"

"I will call him and tell him you need your sleep. Doctors orders"

"Right. I mean you were once The Doctor" Buffy eyed him.

He sighed "Get some sleep"

"Spike, one more thing?"

The vampire turned back to her.

She decked him in the face. He stumbled back into the wall.

Holding his nose, Spike asked "What was that for?"

"That was for my sister," Buffy told him, as she approached in a hobbling manner "_This_..."

She reached up lighting quick and grabbed him between the legs, squeezing hard. Spike's breath caught in his throat, his mouth open in a silent scream and his eyes bugging.

"...This is for me" She continued, grinning.

Then she let go.

Buffy turned to the sofa, gingerly on her injured leg, and slumped on to it unconscious.

**A/N: Spike got his comeuppance for being a skank, Buffy and Spike are "alone" and Angel is nowhere to be seen. All is right with the world. Reviews!**


	18. Some Much Needed Rest

**A/N: Thanks to all my reviewers yet again. And, hey, SA, what took you so long to discover this story? You Scots, you need to get with the program!**

Spike left the bathroom, throwing the towel over his bare shoulder. Steam followed him out of the room before he closed the door on it quietly. He picked up the towel again and rubbed it roughly over his hair, drying it and by default turning it all fluffy. It curled at the front and over his ears, the rest of it sticking up in abrupt and comical directions.

Dressed only in his black jeans, bare-foot and naked from the waist up Spike carefully slipped into his bedroom. He tip-toed across the floor so as not to wake the Slayer who lay on top of his bed. He found a clean blue shirt in the dresser and slipped it over his shoulders.

Spike glanced back over his shoulder to look at Buffy. She lay on top of the bedcovers with her foot elevated on a pillow, an icepack on her ankle. He didn't know if it would help but he guessed it might numb some of the pain as her Slayer healing abilities kicked in. He had also cleaned the long gash on her forehead that had dribbled blood into her eyes. Her face was now fresh and clean, although the angry red slit was still there but already lessening. She was still in the dress she had been put in by Lorne. Spike didn't really think it was his place to undress her, knew he'd get another crushing blow to his balls if he had even tried. Also the small fact that he didn't have anything for her to change into might also cause a problem.

Spike turned away and began to do the buttons up on his shirt. He couldn't watch her too long. Buffy Summers. Asleep. In his bed. It stirred up too many memories, some of them not good, and it caused his heart to ache. Seeing her there just made him yearn for things he knew he could never have.

So, she had kissed him? So what? He had been foolish to think it meant more than it did. Buffy had kissed Angel back in Sunnydale; she had virtually told him it didn't mean anything more than that she had missed the poofter. The same could be said for the kiss that had passed between them. A physical representation of missing one another, nothing more.

His chest felt tight. He needed a cigarette.

Spike turned and started towards the door.

"What, no room service? No, mints on the pillow, no hot coffee, no wake-up call?" Buffy asked; her voice croaky with sleep.

Spike turned back to her as she was pulling herself up slowly to a half-sitting position on his bed. She smoothed out her hair, eyes watchful of him, and a small smile on her face.

"Sorry, love. You get what you pay for here" He replied, sauntering over to the bed "And you always were a bit of a tight-wad"

"I was not!" Buffy scowled but it soon dropped as she looked him over "Blue's a good color on you"

"Red's a good colour on you" Spike countered, looking very blatantly at what her dress failed to cover.

She sighed, looking down at herself "I don't see why Lorne made me Slutty McGee"

"Probably 'cos you're the most beautiful" Spike smiled.

"Really?" She asked self-consciously, leaning towards him "You don't think...you know, that Nina is...well, you know..."

"Not a chance"

"But she's all leggy and with the height and ample-ness of other things..." Buffy bit her bottom lip, looking at him conspiratorially.

Spike shrugged "She's not you"

Buffy sighed "Right. Like that means anything"

"Does to me," He replied, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

She tilted her head, regarding him "So, if it was a choice between me and Angelina Jolie...?"

"No contest," He smiled, reaching over and placing a hand on her forehead "You still feel a bit warm, love. Best get some more sleep"

Buffy shook her head "Not tired. Just...just need to lie here. Conversation is good. I want to know everything about the last two years of your life I've missed"

"Not much to tell. Came back, was a ghost, got made solid again and have been helping here ever since"

"So, nothing...else? You know..."

"I know what?" He asked, eyebrows rising.

"You _know_" Buffy accentuated.

Spike laughed, baffled "I'm afraid that I don't, Buffy"

"Uh! Men/vampires!" She threw her hands up "You know, in a...'love life' kind of way?"

He gave a small shrug "I had a half shag from Harmony when I got corporeal again"

"Harmony? You're taste hasn't improved I see" She rolled her eyes "Wait. What's a half shag?"

He laughed "Don't worry about it"

"Dawn! Is she –" Buffy said suddenly.

"Just got a call from Angel. They're all safe at Wolfram and Hart"

"Hmm" She sighed, settling back down "I'm not sure I'd put 'safe' and 'Wolfram and Hart' in the same sentence. All along it was them providing demons with the Speed Beads. I should have guessed"

Spike nodded "They're still corrupt but things are improving. Slowly"

"I never saw you as a 9 to 5 law firm kind of guy"

"I work odd hours" He smiled "Oh, Angel-face also mentioned that Gunn and the SWAT's had made the two warehouses go boom"

Buffy nodded "That's good. Should keep the Kraal's supply to the minimum for now. We should go. Meet up with Angel and discuss what we're going to –"

"No. You can't. You're ankle is still screwed" Spike motioned to it "So, you need to rest for a little while longer"

Buffy tilted her head "What if I don't want to rest?"

Spike watched her, unsure of how she wanted him to respond. His lips parted and he took in some air, even though he didn't need to. His eyes skated over her, as they inevitably did every minute of every day that he was near her. She smiled a little sweet smile. She liked the attention she got from him. He liked giving it.

The Slayer sat up slowly, putting them at eye-level with each other and their faces close. Buffy reached a hand up and brushed a stray curl of his hair against his forehead. Spike found himself lost in her gaze. She was staring into his eyes, intent and with purpose. Then her focus moved along to study his face, she was taking her time as if trying to catch every detail of him.

When she finally leaned in and kissed him, Spike was still caught by surprise. Every kiss from the Slayer was a wonderful surprise to him. More so, now. It took him a moment to respond. Kissing her back slowly and softly Spike closed his eyes. He moved his hand up to tangle in her hair, cupping the back of her head.

He felt her fingers against his face; she ran one down the line of his cheekbone. As their kissing got heavier and started to get faster, more frenzied, Buffy's hands moved down to his neck and then to the buttons of his shirt. She began to deftly undo the buttons, her fingertips brushing against his chest and making him shiver.

Spike pulled back having just enough time to murmur "Buffy –" Before she pulled him back to her, kissing him like she wanted to eat him.

She pulled the shirt off of his shoulders and threw it to the floor, carelessly.

Spike grabbed her by the shoulders, pushed her back "You're sure about this?"

"Spike," Buffy smiled, her face looking thoroughly flushed and beautiful "You think I'd have started this if I wasn't sure?"

He shrugged "You could have become intoxicated on my good looks"

She laughed and looped her arms around her neck, shutting him up with another string of kisses. Spike wrapped his arms around her and pushed her down to the bed. He broke away and kissed a line down her neck, causing her to tense for a moment before relaxing again.

Spike kissed down to her collarbone then all the way down the strip of flesh her dress exposed, down to the navel with Buffy writhing underneath him. He had to be careful of her ankle and he intended to be gentle this time anyway. No more rough stuff. Well, at least not for a week. Spike smiled to himself.

He pulled back, sat up partly and looked down at her "You do realise I may not be able to perform properly due your little ball-grabbing venture earlier?"

"Oh, is that so?" Buffy sat up, arching an eyebrow "Well, in that case..."

She flipped him over onto the bed and climbed on top of him. Buffy leaned down and kissed down his chest mimicking his earlier movements. She reached his navel and grabbed his belt-buckle, ripping it open.

Spike watched as she moved lower down, she was grinning wickedly.

"...I guess I'll just have to kiss it better"

**A/N: That minx! I think we'd have an appropriate "fade to black" moment here! Use your own imagination! Or, steal someone else's. In the meantime, review!**


	19. Nicely Done

**A/N: Thankies for the reviews. Ah, pillow talk...**

When Buffy turned over she was confronted with the view of Spike's ass jiggling up and down. Not entirely unpleasant, but still questionable. He was leaning over the bed, the covers thrown up over his waist but exposing his bare back to her. He had gained a little weight since the last time she had seen him naked, since Sunnydale. It looked good on him, but then she had a suspicious Spike could still look good if he weighed three hundred pounds...well, he always had the charm to fall back on.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

He jumped, hitting his head on the corner of the nightstand and cursing loudly, turning back to her and rubbing his head, he said innocently "Oh, nothing"

"I repeat; what are you doing?" Buffy asked, smiling and stretching contently as she sat up, leaning her back against the headboard.

Spike rolled his eyes and leaned down again, this time when he came back up he had a tray in his hands. The tray held food. A lot of food. A full English breakfast, Buffy guessed it would be called. She didn't realize until she saw it how hungry she was. Eggs, bacon, toast, orange juice, beans...everything that was guaranteed to fatten her up. She wondered absent-mindedly if Spike was planning to cook her in the oven.

"You pulling a Hansel and Gretel on me?" Buffy asked, wryly.

"Oh, shut up and eat" Spike passed the tray over "I expect that to be all be gone by the time I get back" He started to get up.

She grabbed his arm "Nuh uh. Where do you think you're going?"

"I was gonna call Peaches, tell him we're fine. Very fine" He smirked.

"Some of us more than others," Buffy replied, looking him over "And forget about Angel. Isn't that what you're always telling me?"

Spike gave her a self-satisfied grin. She settled back into bed comfortably sitting up against the headboard as she dutifully scoffed everything in sight. Spike watched her with a sort of impish glee in his eyes.

Buffy slurped at her orange juice rather un-ladylike "So, where'd you get all this stuff from anyway? It's not like you need to eat or anything"

"Nipped down to the shops whilst you were zonked out" He gave her a half-shrug.

She grinned "You made all that effort for little old me?"

"Don't be expecting it every time, you know" Spike folded his arms, sitting next to her in bed "It's just a one-off"

Buffy was still beaming "You're so sappy"

"I bloody well am not! I'm a rebel," Spike nodded with a surety "You can ask anyone. Ooh, ask Charlie! He'll vouch for me"

She reached over and pinched his cheek "My little Suzy Homemaker Spikey"

"Leave off, woman" He slapped her hand away "I'm nothing of the sort. I'm every mum's worst nightmare boyfriend for their impressionable daughter"

"Since when have I been impressionable?" Buffy quirked an eyebrow then smiled again "Besides, my mother liked you. So, you're bad-man-creature-of-the-night spiel has just gone _poof! _in one swoop, mister"

Spike held a hand over his heart "Alright, alright, you got me. I'm the ideal boyfriend. Mothers love me, little sisters fancy me, and girlfriends can't help but fall head over heels for me"

"With my ankle throbbing like it is right now, I don't want to attempt falling anything over anything with anyone..." Buffy paused, confused at her own words "Huh?"

"Don't ask me, love" He chuckled.

She bit down on a stick of crunchy bacon, and spoke with her mouth still full "You do understand that I am going to have to workout for god knows how many hours after this?"

"I'll give you a good workout" Spike arched an eyebrow, smirking.

Buffy rolled her eyes, playfully, and leaned in kissing him quickly on the cheek. Spike's smirk turned into a soft smile and he placed his arm around her shoulder. She moved in closer to him, snuggling into his torso and leaning her head against his shoulder.

"Is this weird?" She asked after a moment then quickly corrected herself "I mean, _good_ weird but still...weird?"

"Yeah, pet, it's weird"

"Oh, good. I thought it was just me. 'Cos it's just with the whole 'thinking you were dead..._er' _ thing and now two years later with the smooching and the...other stuff. Surreal, I guess"

Spike chuckled "Well, listen to my little Slayer using big important words like 'surreal'. We'll make a scholar out of her yet"

"Shut up" She thumped him in the side, "Mr. Smarty Pants. You know, if I had been around for as long as you have I bet I'd be just as smart as you...no, probably smarter"

Spike leaned over and kissed the top of her head "I don't doubt it, love"

Buffy nodded, firmly "Glad we got that sorted out" she bit down on another stick of bacon, resolutely.

Spike laughed at her, and it was a joyous sound. One she had not heard enough of the last year in Sunnydale. His laugh was infectious and soon she was laughing along with him, although in a much more refined manner, naturally. Crumbs were being spread everywhere, all over his sheets but he didn't seem to mind and, of course, she didn't care. It wasn't her who would have to do the dry-cleaning, after all. _Ha, score one – Buffy!_ She thought to herself silently _Stick him with the clean-up. Nicely done._

"What are you looking so smug about, Summers?" He asked, curiously.

"Oh, nothing" She replied innocently, shrugging "Just happy to be Buffy"

Spike looked at her, serious for a moment "That's new"

"I know. I kind of like it" Buffy smiled sardonically.

He smiled along with her, genuinely. Buffy loved that smile. She loved the steep slashes of his cheekbones, the soft and full bottom lip he had, those eyes of his, those eye_lashes_ of his for that matter...

Buffy had to tear her gaze away before she started to get that spaced-out look. The one where drool and possible cross-eyed expressions were likely.

Spike reached over and placed his thumb and index finger over her chin. He turned her face back towards his and he studied her intently for a moment before he moved in and kissed her. His cool mouth against hers caused a sigh to escape her lips. She was so caught up in the kiss that she lost all basic control over her limbs and she ended up pouring the orange juice all over his sheets and all over him and herself.

Spike jolted back crying out at the cold liquid, he looked down at himself then back at her. She put on her best innocent look. He just laughed and after a moment she did too.

"Sorry," Buffy bit her bottom lip, acting all bashful.

"You do realise how bad it looks to have all this yellow liquid over us?" Spike snorted.

"Oops," She put her hand to her mouth "Now we're all sticky"

Spike looked her over, hunger in his eyes and he grinned. Licking his lips he leaned towards her.

The cell phone on the nightstand rang.

Spike groaned and picked it up, rolled his eyes "That bloke knows how to ruin...every moment, ever"

He answered the phone. Buffy watched as he started talking to Angel in his usual brash, cocky voice. It was strange how he could be so gentle and attentive to her. She was one of the few people who ever really saw that side to Spike. His other facade was so much easier for him to masquerade in.

She climbed out of bed, wrapping the sheet around herself. Buffy walked over to the doorframe and Spike's eyes followed her across the room even as he snarked at Angel.

Buffy beckoned him over to her with one finger and she mouthed the word "Shower"

Spike's eyes lit up "You know, what, Angelus? As fascinating as this conversation is I'm gonna have to get back to you. I need to attend to Buffy. We'll see you in...oh, half an hour?"

"An hour" Buffy corrected him.

"Right, an hour. The lady needs some time to come...to her senses"

Spike hung up the phone and, grinning, followed Buffy out as she left the room.

**A/N: Gimme those reviews, now! Don't make me growl, even though I gladly will.**


	20. Just Some General Mayhem

**A/N: I see some of you (i.e. all of you!) enjoyed the Spuffiness of the last chapter. I'm glad. **

Spike found himself stumbling out of the bathroom for the second time that day. This time it was to answer the shrill persistent ringing of the phone. He grunted, wrapping a towel haphazardly around his waist and raking a hand through his dripping hair as he stalked into the bedroom towards the phone.

"Don't be too long, Spike" Buffy called from the bathroom "Or I may have to get started without you"

He glanced back "Bloody hell...this better be important"

Spike grabbed up the phone. Caller ID told him it was Angel calling. Again. _Wanker..._

He hit the talk button and pressed the phone to his ear, impatiently "Listen, Forehead, I _really_ do not have time for –"

"Spike!" Dawn's voice shrieked over the phone.

He pulled the phone away from his now damaged eardrum for a moment before pressing it back "Dawn, what's wrong? Dawn?"

"Spike...need you..."

He heard sounds of crashing, snarling and general violence coming down the line. Dawn let out another, high-pitched squeak and a loud bang sounded close by.

"Dawn!" Spike yelled "Dawn? Dawn!"

"Kraals...help would be nice...!"

Buffy came hobbling into the room. She hobbled fast "What is it? Why are you shouting Dawn's name? Spike?"

"We'll be there" Spike told Dawn before hanging up, he turned to Buffy "Attack on Wolfram and Hart"

Buffy walked out of the room grabbing up her clothes hurriedly "The Kraals?"

"One and only" He nodded.

Spike picked up his jeans and pulled them on; he searched around for a shirt and found one. When he looked up Buffy was already half way out of the apartment door.

"Hang on!" He called "We need weapons"

She turned back "Where are they?"

"Chest in the corner of my room" Spike walked into the room, opened the chest and pulled out two good axes.

He came back into the living room and tossed Buffy one of the axes and then she was out of the door. Spike muttered a curse and followed her out, not even bothering to close the door to his home. He ran down the corridor after her. Even with a severely hurt ankle she was faster than him. His pride may have been hurt, if he was worrying about it instead of Dawn.

As he was running he slipped the shirt on over one shoulder and then the other, transferring the axe from hand to hand as he watched Buffy's back disappear up the stairs. Spike didn't bother to do up the shirt and instead ran full speed up after her.

She reached the fire exit and slammed the door open using all her weight. Searing sunlight cut a swathe through the gloom and Spike leapt to the side, hissing. Smoke wafted up from his skin. Buffy turned back to him, a look of concern on her face.

But all she said was "Spike, get a move on!"

"Yes, mistress" He grunted, still tender from the almost frying.

He pulled the shirt up over his head and made a run for it through the parking lot, following the Slayer's petite form. She reached the limo and climbed in, leaving the door open for him. The acrid smoke from his own burning flesh was filling Spike's nostrils and he choked, stumbling half against the hood of the car and half against the side.

Buffy's hands reached out, grabbed his shirt and pulled him in. He collapsed across the two front seats, his head in her lap. She leaned over him and pulled the door shut with a loud bang.

A moment later and she pushed his head off of her "Spike, drive!"

"Bloody 'ell..." He sat up, his brain feeling disorientated.

"Spike!" She yelled.

"All right!" He growled, turning the key in the ignition and then veering left out of the car lot, leaving rubber tire marks in his wake.

They sped down the roads of L.A with Spike trying to navigate between cars. This wasn't easy with a stretch limo. He weaved in and out as best he could, all the while Buffy telling him to go faster. She didn't seem to realise his foot was already pressed down to the floor.

Spike cut down a backstreet, and then another and he reached Wolfram and Hart in what would be record time he was sure if he had bothered to count. He screeched to a halt outside the building and Buffy jumped out without a word. Spike cursed and shut the door. He reversed and then turned left driving down the entrance into the underground parking lot.

Spike knew the Slayer could hold her own, but that didn't mean he was happy about having to waste precious seconds. If he had tried to follow her out into that much bright sunlight into the main entrance of W&H he would have surely burnt to a crisp.

The moment he entered the relative darkness of the parking lot Spike jumped out and ran across to the stairwell. No way in hell he was waiting for the elevator. He pounded up the steps, holding the heavy axe down by his side.

He got to the first floor entrance and burst through the door.

A flying demon hit him full force and Spike left the way he had come.

The vampire tumbled down the concrete steps of the stairwell, which now also seemed to be a regular occurrence, with the demon snarling and ripping at his bare chest. He yelped as they hit the floor; head butted the demon and kicked it off.

Spike jumped up and whirled his axe down to chop the bastards head off.

He turned and ran back up the stairs, slamming back through the door and taking in the scene before him.

There had to be at least seven Kraals left that he could see. It didn't seem that many until he realised that they were high on Speed Beads. He realised this when he saw a Kraal pick Angel up by the shirt with one hand and throw him through the glass foyer windows of the main entrance to W&H.

Right out into the sunlight.

Spike turned and ran. Without pausing he jumped through the jagged hole in the glass his grandsire had left and tumbled out into the searing light with him. He let out a deep yell and picked himself up. Angel was scrabbling up too; already partially on fire.

Spike grabbed him around the waist and gave a running jump back through the window into the building. They hit the floor. Smoke was billowing off Spike and Angel had actually caught fire on his back.

Spike rolled him over and over putting out the flames.

When he was safely out, the white-haired vampire looked at Angel's sooty face "You owe me one, Peaches" he grinned.

Angel just groaned.

Spike got back up and looked over to see Buffy battling two Kraal's at once. Her eyes were murderous, her hits unforgiving. He scanned the foyer further and saw Wesley blow the brains out of one Kraal before another jumped him from behind and Gunn ran to assist him.

He noticed Illyria too, a slight smile on her face as three Kraals surrounded her. She was confident she could take them.

Spike saw Dawn and Harmony both peeping over the edge of a receptionist desk. It was kind of comical. Or it would have been if there weren't bloodthirsty demons all around. He ran over to help Buffy, grabbing one of the Kraals by its neck. He tried to snap it but instead all he got for his troubles was a one-way trip into the wall.

As his head hit the brick with a loud crunch, pain exploded behind Spike's eyes and he slumped to the floor.

"Soddin'...wankerin'...oh, whatever" He groaned, getting to his hands and knees slowly.

Dawn cried out "Spike, look out!"

He turned just in time to see a Kraal that Illyria had thrown across the room, careening towards him. Spike barely had time to brace himself for the impact before the thing landed on top of him. And, _bugger_, was it heavy.

He heard a couple of ribs snap inside himself as he grunted and landed a weak punch to the grinning Kraal's face.

"Hey!" Harmony's voice said "You mean, ugly..._thing_!"

The Kraal turned, keeping his hand on Spike's neck.

"Yeah, she's talking to you" Dawn, said coming up to the side of her "You want to beat someone up? Why not try two defenseless girly girls?"

Spike welcomed the rather embarrassing help and took the opportunity to reach up and sink his thumbs into the eyes of the Kraal when it wasn't looking. It would never look again, in fact.

It screamed and bucked off of him, Spike kicked it a couple of times and stood. Harmony and Dawn both looked at him and then the writhing demon on the floor with "eww" faces.

"What?" Spike panted, "I had to do what I had to do"

They continued to look grossed out.

"_What?_"

He rolled his eyes and picked up his previously lost axe. Swung it down in an arc and chopped the things head off.

Dawn spoke finally "You know, when I tell Xander you poked something's eye out...he's gonna give you the 'why we don't poke thing's eyes out' lecture"

"I'm shakin'" Spike replied.

The three of them looked on just as Illyria dispatched of her opposition and Buffy ripped the throat out of another but not before the demon had kicked her in her already damaged ankle. They could sense weakness, like any good demon.

She let out a small scream and sunk to the floor, cradling her foot. Spike ran over to her, as did Dawn.

"You okay, love?" He asked, crouched next to her.

Buffy looked up at him, tears in her eyes, clearly not okay "Yeah...I'm...it's...I'm okay"

The foyer was strangely silent. All of the Kraals had been dispatched but now without casualties. Several Wolfram and Hart staff lay dead, Buffy's ankle was worse, Angel had nearly gotten crispy fried, Gunn was holding his arm awkwardly, and Wesley was unconscious.

Angel stood, shakily and stumbled over to them "Everybody all right?"

"Yeah, for now" Spike pointed at him "But this isn't gonna end. Wolfram and Hart started this mess. What are you gonna do about it?"

"Simple" Angel said, his eyes dead, "Destroy it"

**A/N: That Angel with his bold, sweeping statements. Such an overly dramatic fool. Still, makes for good TV. And good fanfic. If you review, Angel may make another bold, sweeping statement. Now, wouldn't that be fun?**


	21. Coming Out of the Closet

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews. I'm happy you all like the story. I've been nominated at the Lovebite Awards for 4 categories! If you feel like voting for me I would be most grateful. Link - ****http:www.lovebite-awards.de.vu/**** I'd love you forever, if you did. This chapter is rated PG-13 for one instance of bad, evil, language! **

"So, how are we gonna do that then? Destroy Wolfram and Hart, I mean" Spike asked leaning against the wall "And please remind me why we're all standing in a closet"

Buffy stood opposite the vampire, also leaning against the wall because she didn't have much other choice. They were indeed in a small supply closet; they being the whole gang minus Wesley who had yet to awake from his stupor. Buffy found herself standing crushed between Gunn and Angel which, considering they were both big guys, wasn't very comfortable. Dawn stood next to Spike and Lorne was on the other side of her having appeared after the fight to see "what all the hubbub was about". Harmony had been shut out of the closet. A dire insult, indeed.

"Because, _Spike_," Angel began, testy "This is safe"

"Never heard of the closet monster then?" Spike asked, amused.

"I mean it's an area of Wolfram and Hart that I've had sanctified. Witches and Shaman's have thrice blessed it so that no one can listen in and so that the whole building could fall down around us but this closet would be safe" Angel explained.

Buffy looked skeptical "Okay. So, why not just bless another, bigger room?"

"Because that would have made people suspicious. I'm not naive enough to think there aren't some spies amongst us here. I had to keep it small so that they wouldn't notice" Angel answered her.

Dawn nodded "So, size does matter"

"Dawn!" Buffy scolded.

She rolled her eyes "Oh, what?"

"So, I was also kind of wondering how we're gonna destroy this place. 'Cos I'm thinking it's got some kind of mystical safety devices" Buffy said.

Gunn nodded "You'd be right. Got barriers that tell us when vampire, demon or Slayer enter the building. I've also heard, you know water-cooler talk, that there's a failsafe against an all out attack. A series of C4 charges could go off in this place but the building would still stay standing strong"

"Well, that's put a dampener on things" Angel sighed, then perked up "We have a water-cooler?"

Lorne nodded, then turned to Gunn "Has anyone been talking about the five pounds I've lost since Christmas?"

"Well, I know some girl down in T&T has been checking you out" Gunn grinned.

Dawn frowned "T&T?"

"Torture and Torment Department" He explained.

Her eyes widened "Oh"

"Guys! Some focus here, please" Angel interrupted.

"Perhaps I could do some damage" Illyria spoke for the first time in a long while, she stood next to Angel.

Buffy noticed the gleam in her eyes at that prospect.

Angel shook his head "No, it would take too long. We need a clean break with this, so to speak. A bomb would be good"

"Gunn just said that wouldn't work" Buffy reminded him.

"Maybe man-made bombs wouldn't. A mystical one just might..."

She arched an eyebrow "What do you mean?"

"Well, if we set off a normal bomb in this building it would do some serious damage to the area surrounding Wolfram and Hart. We're talking possible deaths of innocent bystanders. A mystical bomb could be deployed to only kill demons. Since we know it's only a matter of time before the Kraal attacks it's our best bet" Angel told them all.

Spike cleared his throat "That deals with those bug ugly bastards but it still doesn't destroy this place"

"No, it doesn't" He nodded "But if we get rid of the Kraals and find out just where Wolfram and Hart are getting the Speed Beads made we can put an end to that"

"We already blew up the two factories" Gunn said.

"There's no way those were the only two bases. It's got to be here, in the building somewhere"

Spike nodded "So, we find out where they're making them, trash the place, wait till the Kraal's come looking for vengeance and more drugs and then blow the suckers up"

"Basically, yeah" Angel nodded "Then we find a way to bring Wolfram and Hart to its knees"

There was a long pause.

"You're so melodramatic, Peaches" Spike chuckled.

Angel frowned "Oh, so Buffy gets to say stuff like that but I don't?"

"Yeah, 'cos she's pretty" Spike grinned and opened the closet door stepping out.

Angel folded his arms and watched as everyone filed out "I'm...I'm pretty!" He sighed and followed them out, turning to Lorne "Right?"

"Sure you are, Angel Buns" Lorne patted his shoulder.

Buffy turned to Angel "You want me to call Willow? Ask us if she can help with the...uh...problem?"

"That would be good" He nodded "We'll need _it_ soon"

Spike sidled up to Buffy, standing close as he looked at Angel "And in the mean time you'll do what?"

"Find out where they're being made"

"How?"

Angel turned and walked down the corridor to Harmony's desk where the blonde vampire sat "Harmony, can you find out something for me?"

"Sure, boss" She beamed clicking at the computer "What do you want to know?"

"Where are the Speed Beads being made?"

"Basement" Harmony told him without even looking it up.

Angel frowned "How did you know so...easily?"

"Everyone knows," She remarked "It was announced at the quarterly meeting"

"What quarterly meeting?"

"The one you didn't go to because you were playing squash"

Angel shifted from foot to foot "Oh...well, good work"

He turned and walked back to Buffy and Spike "Basement"

"Of course, it's always the basement" Spike muttered.

"I'll come with you" Buffy offered.

"No, you have to call Willow" Angel said "Besides; I wouldn't want to separate you from your boyfriend"

Angel looked at Spike then back to Buffy, shook his head and left.

Buffy watched him go "Oh, shit"

**A/N: Did I just make Buffy say a bad word? Naughty author! So, Spike and Angel finally came out of the closet...not to mention everyone else. Hehe. Kind of short but I hope you liked it. **


	22. Trust

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews and keep them coming!**

Angel stepped inside the elevator and pressed the button that would take him to the basement. He couldn't believe he had let the Speed Beads get into production in his own firm! He had been stupid and too relaxed with the way he treated this place. Had to remember that it was still Wolfram and Hart and that it was still, essentially, evil. Something he made himself promise to never forget or get lax on again.

The doors started to slide closed when a slender hand stuck between them and held it open. Buffy stepped into the compartment next to him as the doors moved back to let her in, she held a gasoline can in her hand.

"Buffy," He said in a not too happy voice "I told you to –"

"I'm not real good with following orders, Angel. I'm not one of your lackeys" She cut him off abruptly, as the doors closed "You know that"

He felt his fists clench down by his sides "Yeah, I have a dim recollection. Point is, Buffy, I don't need you in this"

"You think?" She looked at him, eyebrows lifted "Because I'd say you definitely need me in this. You wouldn't even know about the problem if I hadn't brought it your attention. I mean, God, Angel! This was going on right beneath your feet and you didn't even notice. This law firm has really blinded you"

Angel turned to her, face a mask of coldness "I don't need a lecture on how you're so much better than me, Buffy! You do things your way, I do things my way. That's how we've been for six years now. We don't play nice together any more"

Her eyes held his unwaveringly "So, what? Now we can't even help each other out when it comes to evil?"

"You're the one that said you couldn't trust me anymore" He reminded her "You're the one that wanted to cut all ties when you found out I was running this place. Not me. It was never my decision to have this separation –"

"Bull! Who left who first, huh?" Buffy asked, challenging.

He sighed, looking up at the ceiling "That's not what I meant. Let's not go over old ground"

"I think that's _exactly_ what we need to go over" She said "You left me. You decided to leave Sunnydale. I didn't push you away"

"You know why I had to go!"

"I know why you _thought _you had to go" Buffy amended him "So, don't try and lay the blame on me for us parting ways on our battling evil together...and other things"

Angel leaned against the elevator wall and closed his eyes; he took a steadying breath "You know I'm always here to help you if you need it. The last three years I couldn't say the same thing about you. You decided to keep your distance because of Wolfram and Hart. I needed your help for Fred and you denied it to me!"

She frowned "What are you talking about? You never called me or..."

"I called Giles. I needed Willow, thought she might help. He rejected me" Angel glared at her "She was an innocent and he still didn't do everything he could to help her, just because she worked for Wolfram and Hart"

Buffy paused a moment then said softly "I can't say what happened. I haven't heard Giles' side. I'm sure he did everything he could to help her. Willow...she's been out of contact range for quite a while, Angel. What even makes you think she could have done something?"

"I don't know! We'll never know now. If there was even a small chance that Fred could have been saved and she wasn't...well, it's my fault..."

"How'd you figure?" Buffy frowned "If it's anyone's fault it's Illyria's"

Angel's face held great pain "I could have saved her and I didn't"

"What? How?"

"There was a way. It would have meant thousands of deaths for her life..."

Buffy reached over and took his arm "Then you made the right choice. Would Fred have wanted you to sacrifice that many people?"

He pulled his arm away and narrowed his eyes at her "She didn't want to die. She was afraid"

"I understand that –"

"You don't! You don't understand that" Angel said, his voice rising again "You don't understand anything about her. You didn't know her passion for math and science, the way a room would light up when she walked in...the way Wesley looked at her..."

Buffy took a step towards him "Angel..."

"Don't!" He snapped, stepping away "I don't want your sympathy. It's not me who deserves it. Seeing Illyria...brings it back to me every day. Does it even bother you that you could have done something to stop it?"

Buffy threw her arms up in the air "_I _didn't even know and it's not Giles' fault if he couldn't reach Willow. It's not any of our faults. Stop trying to blame me just because you're pissed about Spike"

Angel pulled a face of disgust "I can't tell you how much this is _not_ about him!"

"Really? So you're little dramatic exit back there was not meant to provoke a reaction?" Buffy folded her arms and regarded him "You can't handle the idea of him and me so you're trying to let out your anger on me. Well, I'm not gonna let you. Fred's death wasn't my fault. You know that and I know that"

"Of course you would have to bring him into this," Angel sneered "And, you're right, I can't handle the idea of you two because it's ridiculous!"

Buffy snorted "Really?"

"Yes, really. Come on, Buffy, I mean; _Spike_?"

"What about him?"

"He's not even your equal," Angel pointed out to her, "I mean if you were really that desperate you might as well of banged the first demon you met in an –"

The Slayer slapped him around the face. Hard.

The sound echoed around the elevator carriage as they continued to descend downwards. Angel looked down at the floor, a red mark appearing on his cheek; he turned his face back up again and met her eyes.

"You can't talk to me like that, Angel" Buffy said softly but firmly "Like you pointed out; we're not the same people anymore. I'm not the same Buffy you knew back in Sunnydale"

"I'm beginning to realise that" He replied as the doors opened and he stepped out into the basement with her behind him "The Buffy I fell in love with would never let Spike even look at her in the wrong way"

She followed him down the winding hallway, limping, and still lugging the gasoline can "Like I said, I'm a different person. So is he"

"He's not a person at all" Angel replied, gruffly.

"Does that mean you're not either?"

"I am nothing like Spike!"

"Funny, 'cos it's kind of easy to see the similarities"

Angel snorted as he kicked a rusty door in down the end of the corridor "Just because he has a soul doesn't make him good, Buffy. He's only in it to impress you"

"Really?"

"Yes, really" He strode into the room where there were several crates stacked around the room no doubt containing Speed Beads, and some machinery that he supposed were used to make the drugs.

"Then why would he spend all this time in L.A fighting evil when I didn't even know he was alive? That makes no sense" Buffy responded.

Angel grabbed a crowbar and prized open one of the crates to show that they were indeed full of Speed Beads "I don't even pretend to understand what's going on in Spike's head"

Angel moved on through the room still carrying the crowbar till he reached the machinery there he started to smash it in using the weapon. Buffy opened the gasoline can she had brought and began to spread the gas liberally over all the crates and the floor making sure the fire would spread to all the crates once it was lit.

"You know Angel, you're right" She said after a moment "You and Spike are nothing alike. I understand Spike. I never understand you"

He hammered a conveyor-belt production line machine "Spike's pretty easy to understand. He acts on his base desires. No higher brain function"

Buffy rolled her eyes "Spike's more intelligent than you give him credit for. I used to underestimate him, just like you do. Then I learnt better"

"Right, Spike's a genius"

She sighed as she shook the last remaining drops from the can "He's a good man, Angel. I know that somewhere in you; you know that. You wouldn't have let him stick around so long if you didn't think so"

"I didn't _let_ him do anything;" Angel turned to her "He's like a parasite. Pesty and hard to get rid of"

Buffy folded her arms "So, he hasn't been any use to you at all?"

Angel paused looking at her. He opened and closed his mouth a few times then mumbled "Let's go"

He walked towards her then out of the door she followed. Pulling a box of matches from her pocket she lit one and threw it in the room before following him down the corridor again. There was a 'whoosh' sound as the room caught alight and then they were stepping back into the elevator and going up.

Both of them knew that some alarms would go off and the room would get put out soon but not before all the drugs and machinery were beyond use.

She turned to him again "I don't expect or need your approval, Angel but it would be good if you could accept Spike and me"

"I don't see that ever happening"

"Why not?"

"Because...because..."

"Because what? Because he's not you?" Buffy questioned "Just like you couldn't handle the fact that I was dating Riley because he wasn't you. Are you supposed to be the only guy I can fall in love with?"

"No...I..." Angel groaned, frowned "Are you in love with Spike?"

"That's not important" She said briskly "Why can't you just be happy that I'm happy?"

Angel shifted from foot to foot "I don't get how Spike can make you happy"

"You want me to go into details...?" She asked, bordering on joking.

"No! God...no!" He made a 'yuck' face "I just want to best for you"

Buffy looked at him "And who would that be?"

He just looked at her.

She sighed "Angel, we're not together anymore. You have Nina. Notice how I haven't come after you saying how she's not good enough for you? That's because I trust your decisions on who you see. If you like Nina then she must be pretty special"

He nodded slowly "Yeah...she is..."

"Then trust me to choose who I want to date. Deal?"

The elevator doors opened and they stepped out. Spike and Dawn stood down the other end of the corridor playing a card game on Harmony's desk.

Angel looked Buffy in the eyes for a long time "Fine, but I don't have to like it. And I _especially_ don't have to like Spike"

She smiled slightly "Thank you"

Buffy leaned up and planted a quick kiss on his cheek before hobbling down the corridor to her sister and Spike.

Angel watched them, alone

**A/N: I wrote a whole chapter with just Angel and Buffy. I'm so proud I could withstand it that long. Actually, they're good characters together just not "together" if you catch my drift. **


	23. Did Someone Order a Bomb?

**A/N: Thank you for all the reviews. More, more I say!**

Spike sat on Harmony's desk watching as Buffy talked to Willow on her cell phone. He couldn't help but think that the call charge was going to be hell to pay. Sitting with his legs dangling off the desk, swinging his feet about and trying not to look too bored out of his mind Spike started to think. This didn't usually result in anything good.

Buffy had gone off to talk to Angel a while ago and when she had come back she seemed to be in deep thought. Spike was, of course, feeling insecure about it. Not that he'd ever admit such a thing – but _what could they have been talking about? Probably, Angel Features tried it on with her._..thing was, Spike couldn't be sure what Buffy would do if that happened. Would she shove him off? Stake him? (Nah, too perfect), or would she kiss him back? Remembering the night in Sunnydale when he had seen her do just that made Spike's fist clench at his side.

Across the corridor the Slayer smiled and laughed into the phone then quickly hung up and pocketed the device. She turned and strode over to Angel who was leaning against his office doorway.

Spike watched them intently. The way Buffy flipped her hair over her shoulder, unintentionally drawing Angel's attention to the smooth coppery toned skin of her neck. Or, was it unintentional? Did she realise the effect she would have on any cold blooded vampire? She was the Slayer – she had to have known.

He felt his teeth grit.

Angel nodded at her, his eyes drawn back to hers as they stood and conferred in low voices. Low enough that Spike couldn't hear even though he strained to. He felt like a complete muppet sitting on the desk like a school child while the grown-ups talked about the important stuff.

He jumped off the desk and watched them a moment longer. Buffy was relaying some information to the tall vampire as he folded his arms over his chest. Spike saw the Slayer's gaze tick to the swell of Angel's muscles, it lasted less than a second but it was enough to make his cold blood boil.

Spike marched over to the pair of them, his strides long and making his coat flap out behind him. He came up to the side of Buffy and looked between them as they both turned to him.

"So, what's Red got to say for herself then, eh?" He asked, tilting his head and looking at Buffy attempting to not let his anger show.

Buffy blinked, studying him for a moment before answering "Willow said she'll send the bomb as soon as possible"

"It could take hours, if not days to make something like that thought, right?" Angel questioned.

"Willow said not. She said a couple of minutes" Buffy informed him.

"Minutes?" Angel's eyebrows lifted "Just how powerful _is_ Willow these days?"

Spike smirked "Harry Potter ain't got nothing on Rosenberg"

Angel ignored that "So, how will she send it to us?"

"She didn't say –"

A loud tearing sound drew Spike's attention away to the centre of the large, spacious corridor. It sounded like material ripping but a hell of a lot louder. Buffy and Angel turned too. The ground shook a little and Spike frowned.

Suddenly a thin line appeared in the air, letting some bright white light shine through. It stayed for a moment before getting longer and longer. Spike took a step backwards but remained transfixed. The line was pulled outward, separated like curtains and the bright light shone into his eyes. He shielded his vision with his hands and watched as a shape stepped out of the rip in the air.

The figure was bathed in light and only a dark shadow could be seen. Spike knew just from the silhouette that it wasn't Willow. He readied himself for an attack but then the rip behind the figure closed up, the light disappearing.

A young man stood in the middle of the corridor. He looked vaguely familiar to Spike but not enough for him to remember where he had seen him. His memory wasn't what it used to be.

Buffy grinned from ear to ear and skipped over to the boy throwing her arms around him "Oz! Oh my god! I haven't seen you for...ever!"

"Buffy," He replied evenly "I've got a bomb in my hands"

"Huh? Oh! Oh, right! Sorry!" She backed off quickly "Willow sent you?"

"She did"

"I didn't even know you to were back together"

"We're not. We just re-found each other," Oz said, keeping his hands grasped closed "She would have come herself but she had to solve a problem"

"What sort of problem?" Buffy asked.

"Someone trying to suck the world into Hell" He said calmly.

"Oh. Again? Wow" Buffy seemed nonplussed.

Angel stepped forward "What? Does...does she need any help?"

Oz looked at him "She said she had it covered. Hey"

Angel frowned then nodded "Hey"

"So, when did you meet up with Willow again?" Buffy looked at Oz, interested.

He half-shrugged "A little while ago. In Istanbul"

"Oh. Well, it's good to see you, Oz" She smiled "I'd hug you again but, you know, bomb and all"

"Always good to see you, Buffy" He gave her a wry smile "About the bomb..."

Angel nodded "Right, right. Bring it into my office. We don't want prying eyes watching this"

Spike snorted "Sure, 'cos the whole stepping through a rip in the fabric of time and space won't draw any attention at all"

The dark-haired vampire glowered at him and led them into his office. Spike was the last one to step in and he shut the door behind himself. Oz walked over to Angel's desk and carefully set down the object he had been holding in his hands. Spike wandered over for a closer look as did Buffy and Angel.

The bomb was a small square box that looked no bigger than a jewelry box you might put an engagement ring in. Except it glowed with a turquoise light.

"That's it?" Spike said derisively "It's so...small"

Angel quirked an eyebrow at him "Size doesn't matter, Spike, remember?"

"You'd know, mate" He replied, smirking.

Buffy rolled her eyes "Guys, can we not? Oz, did Willow tell you how it works?"

The werewolf nodded and pulled out a small thing with two buttons on it. It looked sort of like a remote control but slightly smaller. He handed it to Buffy "Top button is to activate it. The bottom is to deactivate it"

"Hmm, what could possibly go wrong?" Buffy said to herself.

"Nice way to curse us there, love" Spike chuckled.

She looked up "What? Oh, come on. I didn't have you down for superstitious, Spike"

"I've seen too many things not to be"

Oz pointed to the side of the box "There's a manual switch here. Willow says that when the bomb goes off it will only hurt demons. So, if you need to manually activate it you need someone human to do it."

"Got it" She nodded "So, how big is the explosion? I mean, how far back do we need to evacuate Spike and Angel?"

Angel shook his head "You're not evacuating me at all"

"You'd rather get blown to pieces?"

He opened his mouth then shut it again.

Oz looked at Buffy "Half mile radius"

"Okay, good" The Slayer eyed the bomb a moment longer than looked back up at her old friend "So, are you staying?"

Oz half-shrugged "If you need me"

"We need all the bodies we can get for this fight. I'm thinking the Kraal's aren't just going to stand around and let us blow them up" Angel said "So, we'd appreciate the help"

"Then you've got it" Oz nodded.

Angel nodded too then cleared his throat "So, we do this tomorrow. Soon as it turns dark we're going into battle and we might not come out of it. I suggest we spend it with the people we love"

He looked at Buffy then made a gesture to excuse himself and walked to the door.

Buffy turned, watching him "Where are you going?"

Angel opened the door then turned back to her "To find Nina"

Spike watched as the two of them locked eyes. How so much could be conveyed with one look he didn't understand. He felt his nails biting into his own hands, looked down and saw his fists shaking with how much pressure he was using to clench them.

Angel left a moment later, the door clicking shut behind him.

Buffy took a breath and turned to Oz and Spike "So, Oz what do you want to..."

Spike marched across the room towards the exit. _Screw this_. He couldn't stay in the room another minute with her, not when he had just seen the look she gave Angel – right in front of him, no less!

"Spike?" Buffy called out to him "Spike? What –"

He ripped the door open "I need to be alone" he snarled before slamming the door closed behind himself.

**A/N: Spikey Angst Alert! He's so insecure when it comes to Angel and Buffy. Makes me want to give him a hug. Still, the return of Oz! Yay!**


	24. Talk of Smacking

**A/N: I want to thank everyone who voted for me at the Lovebite Awards as I won Best Long Fiction for Home Truths! And a bunch of runner ups for HT and Rekindling Old Flames. Thank you all. And to show my thanks - **

"Thanks for this"

Oz glanced at Buffy as she said this. He looked essentially the same as he had last time she had seen him. Only this time he had a little stubble on his face, and the rugged look worked for him. His hair was still spiked up and auburn, his green eyes steady, the line of his mouth unmoving. He was also still her height, obviously _he_ didn't wear lifts. Dressed in his brown sheepskin jacket and dark blue jeans he was the Oz he had always been. On the surface, anyway. He had been through a lot and that could change a person. Buffy knew this for a fact. Still, he seemed laid-back. He pretty much always was that way.

If there was an embodiment of cool as a cucumber then Oz was it. _Cool as a cucumber? _Buffy flinched inwardly at her lame-ass comment.

"No problem" Oz answered as they walked down the street side-by-side.

"It's just, I know you've probably got better things to do than Spike hunt with me" She explained "So, thanks"

He gave a half-shrug "Left"

They turned left into another, heavily populated, street. Buffy guessed it was just about party time in Los Angeles. People were stumbling into or out of clubs as they walked by. Someone wolf-whistled at her, which was kind of ironic considering the company she was in.

Oz sniffed the air subtly for Spike's scent as Buffy just mainly got worried for the vampire. He had stormed out of the room for no reason. Obviously he had been upset by something but she had no idea what. Problem with Spike was that he was so damned sensitive. Had been even before the soul and she used to revel in using that against him. Using it to stir him up, make him mad. Not that he hadn't done the exact same things to her.

Now, though, she was just wishing they would find him soon.

How things change over the years...

"Yeah" Oz agreed.

Buffy looked at him, surprised "Did I say that out loud?"

He gave her a small nod "Change happens a lot"

"Ain't that the truth," She sighed "What about you? Working with Willow but you're not, you know, dating her?"

Oz sniffed the air and they turned left again "Just helping out"

"It's kind of amazing. I always saw you two as the perfect couple," Buffy mused "I mean, until all the angst"

"Same could be said for you and Angel"

She looked down at the floor "Hmm. I guess I had that one coming"

Oz glanced at her "It's strange. The closer I get to Spike's scent...the more I smell you"

Buffy looked up again, eyes wide and a blush dusting her cheeks "Oh. Oh. Well, that's..."

"None of my business" He held up a hand to stop her "Things change, like you said"

She nodded "You're so non-judgmental. I knew there was a reason I liked you!"

"Thanks. I think" Oz said, with a little chuckle.

"I mean _one_ of the reason I like you, of course" Buffy corrected herself quickly.

Oz came to an abrupt stop in the middle of the sidewalk. The Slayer stopped too. The street they were in was filled with party-goers. Some of which bumped into her and Oz as they drunkenly shuffled by. A hard glare from the Slayer sent them all hurriedly walking away. There were two rival clubs down the street both pounding different music out of their doorways as if competing for the title of nosiest club in town.

One was blaring heavy metal. The other was trance. It was quite a contrast.

"He's here somewhere. It's hard to tell with this many scents" Oz told her.

Buffy looked around then fixed back on the clubs "If he's here then he's probably in there" she pointed to the heavy-metal club.

Oz started towards it and she followed.

He sniffed hard and then after a few moments nodded "Somewhere in that building"

"Right. Okay. Thanks," Buffy turned to him "Well, I should..."

"Go" He nodded "I'll be around"

She paused, looking him in the eyes for a long moment before she nodded and then walked to the club door. There was a long queue trailing down the sidewalk. She put on her best ass swaying walk and sidled up to the beefy looking bouncer.

He looked her over in her very non rock chick outfit.

"You probably want the club across the road, hon" He drawled.

Buffy shook her head "Oh, no. I'm...mad on the Rock n' Roll scene"

"Really?" His lips smacked together as he chewed gum.

"Oh, yeah"

"What's your favorite band?"

_Jeez, what is this – a test?_

"Uh, well..." Buffy desperately tried to think back to one of the bands Spike was always raving about and she had never paid attention to "The...uh...Stone Pistols?"

He gave a little laugh "I'll let you in just for that"

The bouncer waved her through and she gave him a flirty smile while really wishing she could kick him in the groin. Buffy walked through the door and was instantly greeted with blaring guitar riffs and thundering drums. She winced and looked around. She was in a hallway as the actual club was down a flight of stairs. All the walls were painted black and Buffy could hardly see where she was going as she put her hands against the wall and walked tentatively down some invisible stairs. Surely it was a hazard? Wasn't there some law to say they should have a light somewhere?

She reached the floor below without tripping and breaking her neck, which was a miracle in itself. The actual club was also all painted in black although it had a few lights dotted around here and there on the wall so you could just about see the outline of things. There was a small stage with a band on it that were jumping around in a funny way and strumming the hell out of their guitars. People were on the modest-sized dance floor jumping around in a similar way to the band and shaking their heads wildly, long hair flying through the air with sweat spraying everywhere. _Nice_.

Buffy scanned the club but Spike was not on the dance floor, not that she had expected him to be. She pushed her way through the gyrating people. She stopped only once to shout a stern telling off to a woman who had grabbed her ass. Then she made it to the bar in one piece.

And there he was.

His back was to her but it was unmistakably him. Spike's hair glowed neon in the darkness and from the way he was sat, half-slumped over the bar, he was not in a good mood.

"Oh, joy" Buffy said to herself.

She walked up and slid onto the stool next him, propping an elbow up on the bar "Need to be alone, huh?" she half-shouted against the noise of the club.

Spike's jaw clenched and he turned slowly to look at her "What you doin' here?" he was nursing a tumbler of whiskey.

"Oh, you know – just enjoying the ambiance," Buffy leaned into him "What do you _think_ I'm doing here? You make with the big, melodramatic exit and you expect me to just let it lie?"

"Frankly, yes" He spat, turning away from her.

She watched as he downed the whiskey and then yelled for the bartender to get him another one. Buffy watched his face from the side-on profile that she could see. His mouth was clamped shut, his eyes narrowed slightly. She looked down and saw his grip tighten on the glass in his hand. If he wasn't careful he'd break it.

"What's up with you?" She yelled above the din.

"I don't want to talk"

"Too bad, 'cos I do" Buffy replied.

Spike turned back to face her, anger etched on his features "I mean it, Buffy. Leave me alone"

"No"

He growled and turned back as the bartender filled his glass back up. He sloshed the drink around, hit the bottom of it against the bar and then tipped it into his mouth. Spike downed the whiskey in one go and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

She arched an eyebrow "Swoon. Now, what's the matter?"

"You want to know what the matter is?" He turned to her "You _really_ want to know?"

"Well, yeah"

"You're the matter"

Buffy frowned "What?"

"You and the way you hanker after Angel"

She looked at him, disbelieving "I don't..._hanker_ after him! God! What is wrong with you two? Why have you always got to be jealous of each other?"

Spike snorted "I saw the way you looked at him. The way you can't take your eyes of him. Not to mention the little tête-à-tête you had with him not a half hour ago"

Buffy couldn't stop herself laughing at the absurdity of it all. He was jealous about her going off with Angel when it had been the complete opposite of what he was imagining.

Spike stood abruptly, so abruptly that his bar stool clattered to the floor. His nostrils flared and his grip tightened so hard on the glass tumbler that it shattered "Don't you laugh at me! Don't you _ever_ laugh at me!"

The Slayer was left gaping. This was more serious then she had first thought. She closed her mouth and took a deep breath to regain some sort of composure. Then she fixed her eyes on Spike's. He was seething. If looks could kill...

"I wasn't laughing at you," She said "I was...look can we go somewhere quieter to talk about this?" she indicated to the band – they were in the middle of a killer ten minute drum solo.

"I like it here" He replied through gritted teeth "If you want out, then go"

Buffy stood and moved closer to him, she could feel the tension reverberating through his body "Spike, when I went to talk to Angel I went to talk to him about you. About us"

"Oh yeah?" He sneered "Had a good little laugh about it in-between snogs did you?"

She threw her hands up "No! There was no laughing or...'snogging'!"

He almost chuckled at her using that word but restrained himself.

"...In fact there was the complete opposite of snogging. There was smacking involved" Buffy told him.

Spike arched an eyebrow "The smacking of lips?"

"No, the smacking of my hand to his face"

A slow, wicked grin crossed his face "You gave him a slap?"

"Yes," She said "But don't go getting all smug. I feel like slapping you right now. How could you think I'd get back with Angel like that? Apart from the fact that we're two different people now, he has Nina"

"Right. Sure. Like he wouldn't dump dog girl like a tray of kitty litter if you came back to him" Spike snorted.

"I doubt that but even if he would, it doesn't matter. I've got you now" Buffy reached out and took his cut up hand gently in her own "And I'm not one for dumping kitty litter everywhere"

He chuckled, placed his non-injured hand over his heart "That gets me right _here_"

She smiled "So, you're not gonna get into another hissy-fit then?"

"I don't _do _hissy-fits" Spike protested.

"Sure ya don't" Buffy beamed "Now, let's get you home so I can tend to this hand of yours. Amongst other things"

"Yes, ma'am!" Spike saluted.

Buffy began pulling him through the club before she turned back to him and said "Word to the wise – calling a girl 'ma'am' is not suitably foreplay"

Spike laughed.

**A/N: Sigh. It all goes back to how it should be with talk of foreplay. How long can this last though? Review!**


	25. Doodads

**A/N: Hey, if you get this story on Author Alert I think it's been a bit iffy so you should probably check if you read the chapter before this one first, otherwise it won't make one bit of sense. That would be bad. Oh and words of warning – this is the Penultimate Chapter!**

"You sure it was a good idea leaving Dawn with Harmony?" Spike asked as he kicked open the rusty door and motioned for her to go through.

Buffy strode onto the roof of the extremely tall building and tried not to feel agro-phobic "She'll be fine and, believe it of not, those two have actually bonded. Now that I think about it that kind of worries me"

Spike smiled and closed the door behind himself. He joined her to stand in the middle of the flat roof and they stood admiring the view. The view consisted of a lot of tall, well lit buildings in the night sky. Spike preferred the natural views – rolling hills, mountains, waterfalls that sort of thing but he had to admit that L.A also had a certain charm of its own. Eventually you might get sick of it but every now and then it was okay. It was pleasant even.

Of course, it didn't hurt that he was with the woman he loved either.

"So, love, any clues as to why we're standing on this big eye-sore?" Spike asked, acting casual and disinterested in the whole affair "'Cos there are better things we could be doing"

Buffy glanced at him "Like what?"

He lifted his eyebrows suggestively.

"Right. Should've known" She rolled her eyes but smiled "We're enjoying the view. It might be the last time we ever see the city. Should enjoy it while we can"

"Bollocks, you've been through worse that this. We both have" He dismissively waved a hand around in the air "We won't even break a sweat for these beasties"

Buffy looked at him "Sometimes things are harder than they seem"

Spike walked over to her and took her hand gently, threading his fingers through hers. He wondered if it would always evoke the memory of their hands ablaze, like it did now. Buffy sighed and leaned her head against his chest; he wrapped his other arm around her waist. It was almost like they were ready to dance but without any music. Both stood as still as possible to appreciate the nearness of each other. Buffy placed her hand against his chest, over where his dead heart did not beat. Her fingers stroked against his T-shirt and, in turn, his skin. Spike dipped his head down and planted a tender kiss against the side of her head.

Moments like this were when he truly appreciated his long existence.

If he had died when he ought to he never would have met Buffy, never would have gotten a chance to feel this way about someone. The thought of never having any of this made him tighten his grip on the Slayer.

"Fancy a dance, Slayer?"

Buffy pulled away enough to look up at him "There's no music"

"There is if you listen hard enough," He smiled taking her hand and twirling her around.

Buffy laughed but allowed herself to be pulled back into the circle of his arms and they began to sway against each other. A soft breeze blew around them lifting Buffy's hair gently in the wind. Spike had always loved her hair. He leaned in and nestled his face against her neck. She didn't even tense at all as she once might have. Instead she just slipped her hands underneath his coat, around him and up his T-shirt until they were pressing against his naked back. Spike sighed into her skin.

In all the years they had been separated he had never forgotten Buffy's scent. She always smelt so good. Good enough to eat, he would have said at one time.

"Buffy?" His voice came out muffled against her neck.

"Uh huh"

"What you said earlier about telling Angel about us...did..._do_ you mean that we're...I suppose, what I'm trying to say is do you want us to be..." Spike stumbled over the words.

Buffy ran her hands up and down his back "Officially together?"

"Yeah. That"

There was a long pause. Or at least to Spike it seemed long. If he had needed to breathe he would have been holding his breath awaiting her answer.

"I guess it all depends" Buffy said slowly.

"On what?"

"On whether you want me in your life twenty four hours a day," Buffy said softly "I mean just give it some serious thought – I'm stubborn, I'm demanding, I'll eat all of your ice cream, and you just know I'll be leaving all of my girly doodads around our place. I mean, think of the doodads –"

Spike shut her up with a grin and a kiss. They held each other close as they kissed and swayed to some imaginary music only they could hear. Buffy's hair was whipped around in the breeze. It began to fly around faster and harder and it was then that Spike heard a noise. A very loud noise above them.

They broke apart and looked up just as a black helicopter appeared over the side of the building and flew up above their heads. Buffy's hair was whipped into a frenzy lashing her in the face as the Slayer and vampire gazed up and got into defensive stances.

A loud voice came over a megaphone "If you two are finished with making me lose my lunch, we have a problem"

Spike scowled. Angel was leaning out of the helicopter. As usual he had perfect timing.

"The Kraal's are attacking a little earlier than expected" He said, flinging a rope ladder out of the helicopter "As in now"

Buffy didn't hesitate. She jumped up onto the ladder and started scaling it. Spike sighed. He walked up to it and grabbed hold of the ladder starting to climb up it. Once Angel pulled Buffy into the helicopter they started flying back to Wolfram and Hart.

Spike started yelling all sorts of obscenities as he held onto the ladder for dear life. He didn't attempt to climb any further up just remained in a frozen statue-like pose.

Sure, the fall from up there probably wouldn't kill him but it would hurt like hell and may even squash him like a pancake. He didn't fancy that.

Spike huffed at her stared at the city below and around him. Angel probably thought this little stunt was so hilarious. It didn't pain him too much thought – after all, Buffy had chosen him. Not old Angelic Face up there.

"Ha" Spike snorted to himself.

_Still, who knows what they're getting up to up there..._Spike decided to risk life and limb and climbed quickly up the ladder without looking down. He lurched into the carriage of the helicopter and Buffy grabbed his arm pulling him in to sit between her and Angel.

"Nice of you to join us, Spike" Angel smirked.

"Yeah, nice timing, Angelus" Spike slung an arm around Buffy's shoulders smugly "If I was a suspicious man I'd say you'd called the Kraal's themselves and told 'em to come roughhouse"

Angel rolled his eyes.

Buffy sighed, shrugging Spike's arm off her casually "Can you two just stop for five minutes? Now, what's going on?"

"Got word the Kraal's are on the way. They might be there already by now. Wesley, Gunn and Illyria are heading a security team. We've got teams all around the perimeter of the building" Angel looked out of the 'copter "No way to tell how long this will hold them out. Seems the Kraal's are pretty desperate for Speed Beads and they think we still have one"

"Not to mention the fact that you killed their daddy" Spike looked at Angel pointedly.

"That too" He responded darkly "So the vengeance mixed with the pursuit for the drugs is going to make them..."

"Difficult to handle" Buffy nodded "Well, set the helicopter down as close as possible and then you two stay out of the way. I'll send Illyria to you as soon as I can"

Spike looked at her; eyebrows lifted "What?"

"Buffy, if you think I'm just going to leave you –" Angel started.

"You have to. Both of you," Buffy looked at each of them in turn "I have to set off the bomb. You can't be within in a half-mile radius, remember?"

They both started to protest "But –"

"No. You both stay back. That's the bottom line" Buffy folded her arms and looked away out of the helicopter.

Spike and Angel both looked at each other as the helicopter descended.

**A/N: Oh dear. Will Buffy make it through? Or will it be death again for our Slayer? Third time's the charm, they say. Review please!**


	26. Broken Glass

**A/N: Woo, last chapter! I expect plenty of reviews. **

Spike jumped out of the helicopter after the Slayer. He grabbed her arm as she started across the street towards Wolfram and Hart, which was under siege.

She whirled back to him "Spike! Let me go. My sister is in there! Oz is in there!"

"I know. I want to come with, I want to help you" He replied looking her in the eyes.

"You can't" She said softly, touching her hand to his cheek "Now, please, let me go"

He did as she asked "Come back to me"

"I will" Buffy smiled "Get back to a safe distance"

With that she turned and ran out of his life.

* * *

Buffy burst through the shattered doors of Wolfram and Hart and took in the scene as quickly as possible. Demons everywhere. Demons massacring people. Not good. Slayer needed. She ran up to the nearest demon and grabbed its head, twisted, breaking its neck in one fluid motion. 

She knew she had to get up to Angel's office to get the bomb. Of course, that had to be the top floor, didn't it?

She started towards the stairwell, not too keen on ever going in an elevator again in her life and partly because she didn't bet on her safety in that thing. One snip of the cable and she was plunging to her doom again.

Buffy ran as fast as she could but her ankle was still a little sore and it slowed her down a little. She slammed into the stairwell door and ran up the stairs. So many stairs in front of her. As she was up her seventh flight of stairs a Kraal appeared out of nowhere, leaping towards her.

She swerved to the side, pinning her back against the wall and watched it hurtle past her. The Kraal landed head first on the concrete steps, knocking itself out.

"Well, that was careless" She tsked and started back up the stairs.

As she ascended the Slayer heard screams, definitely human. She passed them by. It hurt her to do so but the quicker she activated the bomb the quicker this would all be over.

* * *

Spike paced up and down a small portion of the street. He kept looking over at Wolfram and Hart which he could just see from the distance he and Angel had to stay back. 

"Do you _have_ to keep doing that?" Angel scowled, referring to Spike's frantic pacing.

"Yes! Yes, I bloody well do!" Spike snarled back "I should be in there with her. Watching her back. We're a team"

Angel snorted "You think this is easy for me? My people are in there as well, you know...and I don't want to see her get hurt either"

"I say we storm in there, just to even the odds. We can get right out once she has the bomb" Spike suggested.

Angel paused, thinking about it "She'd kick our asses. If we weren't already blown to pieces by the bomb, that is"

"Bugger"

Spike paced some more.

* * *

Buffy kicked the door to Angel's office open. This was not a time for subtly. She was out of breath after running up all the stairs with a seriously hurt ankle. _Must be getting old_.

After a moment to catch her breath she began to search the office for the bomb. _God, where did he put it? Probably would have been a good idea for Angel to tell me a little detail like that!_

She began flinging papers from the desk and pulling the drawers out roughly. After what seemed like forever she finally found the small box taped to the top of one of the drawers. Buffy thought that was a kind of lame hiding place but knew it was lucky for her that Angel lacked ingenuity. The remote control was in the same place. Buffy placed the bomb down on the desk and took a breath.

She was about to press the button on the remote control when a Kraal lumbered through the doorway and barreled into the side of her.

"Ow!" She yelped as they hit the floor in a pile, the remote flying out of her grip an skidding across the floor "That was _not_ nice!"

Buffy scrambled to her feet and looked at the bomb on the desk and then at the remote control that lay beyond the Kraal who was already starting to rise. She _so_ didn't have time for this. The Slayer grabbed the bomb and ran from the office with the demon close behind. She could have set the thing off manually right then and there but she realized that she had no idea whether Oz, Illyria, Nina and Harmony were even out of the building. She wasn't exactly clear on whether werewolves were defined as demons but she wasn't going to take the chance.

She headed for the stairwell but wasn't quick enough with her injured ankle. The Kraal slammed into her back sending them both crashing through the doors and down the flights of concrete steps. Buffy cried out but told herself to keep a tight hold on the bomb as she flailing and fumbled and tumbled down the steps.

_This is not gonna look good with bikini season just around the corner..._

The Kraal was practically riding her down the stairs the whole way in their never-ending fall. _Ew, bad phrasing._

A step hit her in the head and she blacked out for a moment. When she regained consciousness she was still rolling over and over down the stairs. _Ugh, I'm gonna hurl._

Just as she thought that she crashed into something coming up the stairs in the other direction. A human something. All three of them; the Kraal, Buffy and her savior from the non-stop whirligig of barfsville landed in a heap on one of the platforms between floors.

The Slayer groaned and turned her gaze to the form underneath her. It was Oz. He was partly wolfed out.

"Hey, Oz" She croaked "Timely of you"

He groaned, rubbed his head and stood holding his hand out to her "I try"

Buffy took his hand and stood wobbly, looking down at the Kraal she frowned "He's not moving"

"Dead. Broken neck from the fall"

"Oh, great. So I've just been carrying dead weight the whole time!"

Oz quirked an eyebrow "We could use your help out there"

He motioned to the doorway that led to the fifth floor. Buffy nodded and they both entered into the fray. It seemed all the action was taking place here, for one reason or another. She spotted Wesley and Gunn beating down a Kraal with savage brutality and with a little help from a shotgun.

Nina was doing her best to help Harmony with a Kraal but when she wasn't a werewolf she wasn't a whole lot of use. Buffy winced when the demon elbowed her in the face and she went flying.

Illyria was beating the snot out of a trio of Kraal's who just kept coming back for more.

She fingered the bomb in her hand.

Turning to Oz Buffy said "You need to get out of here, now. Take Nina, Harmony, Illyria and Dawn with you"

"Buffy –"

"The bomb, Oz. You need to go" She paused "Do you know where Dawn is?"

He nodded "She got out, we sent her down through the car park entrance. Told her to get to a safe place"

Buffy hoped that she had done just that "Thanks. Now go"

The Slayer then ran off to join the fighting, entrusting the werewolf to do as she asked. She kicked a Kraal in the butt just in time to rescue Harmony from decapitation. Buffy rescuing Harmony? The world had truly gone mad. She leapt onto the back of the disgruntled Kraal and wrapped her arms right around its neck, attempting to throttle it.

The demon ran backwards and slammed her into the wall, once, twice, three times until she was dizzy and her back was killing her. She held on tighter only for the Kraal to flip her over its shoulder and slam her onto the floor.

"Oww..." Buffy mumbled.

Before she could do or say more the Kraal grabbed her and threw her up at the ceiling. She hit that with astounding force and then fell back down to the floor. Something almost cracked in her back.

Dots swam before her vision. She looked up, waited for the Kraal to finish her. Instead its head disappeared. Buffy blinked, confused. As the demon slumped to the floor she saw Wesley holding a smoking shotgun.

"Thanks" She groaned.

"Not a problem, Buffy" Wesley helped her up "I owed you one for being such a pillock back when I was your Watcher"

Buffy patted his shoulder "I'd say we're even"

He smiled, briefly, and ran back to join Gunn in beating the crap out of the Kraal's. The Slayer looked around and saw that Oz had managed to get Harmony and Nina out but Illyria just seemed to be having too much fun. She sighed and ran towards the ex-God.

Buffy kicked one of the demons Illyria was fighting and started to speak whilst still fighting "Get out of here, Illyria"

"Do not presume to command anything of me, Slayer" Illyria replied shoving her elbow up into the face of a Kraal.

"You want to be obliterated?" Buffy asked punching her assailant in the stomach and then kneeing him in the head "'Cos I'll set the bomb off with you still here if I have to"

Illyria gave pause and then nodded; punching her hand into the Kraal she was fighting and ripping out its spine. As it fell to the floor limp, she strolled out of the room. Buffy glanced at Oz and nodded. He too left.

Buffy delivered a snap kick to the Kraal she was fighting. _God, this is exhausting_. She wished she had kept up with her strict training regime. She couldn't set off the bomb yet as she had to wait for the others to get out of the half-mile radius. Buffy wished she had her scythe now, or a good axe.

As if reading her mind Gunn called her name and tossed her a broadsword. Not an axe but good enough.

She grinned and sliced the Kraal into so much meat.

Then suddenly something hit her at great speed from the side. As she went flying through the air Buffy had time to think _why do things keep pushing me tonight?_ Then she went flying out of the window of the fifth floor.

The glass shattered as she was hurled through it and she let out a long yell as she fell. The Slayer felt oddly weightless as she watched the stars twinkling above her, her arms and legs flailing as she slowly fell down ready to meet the ground.

* * *

Spike was still pacing across the sidewalk as he heard the unmistakable sound of breaking glass. Both he and Angel looked up from across the road in time to see Buffy Summers fall out of the window, screaming. 

Spike's eyes widened and his jaw slackened it took him a moment to respond, running towards her as fast as he could "Buffy!"

He could hear Angel's footsteps behind him but he paid it no heed as he sped to catch the woman he loved. _Oh, god, oh god..._

The vampire sprinted across the road and he dove forwards to catch her.

* * *

Buffy landed on something surprisingly softer than she imagined the sidewalk beneath her would have been. That something also made a loud "oof!" sound as it broke her fall. She took a moment to just lie there and figure out that she wasn't dead. 

Angel's face suddenly came into view "Buffy? Are you alright? Buffy?" He looked frantic.

She frowned and rolled off of the thing beneath her. Buffy's eyes widened as she realized it was Spike. She had landed on Spike!

He groaned and pulled himself upwards "Bloody hell..."

"Well, there goes the romance" Buffy smiled slightly, rubbing her painful neck.

She stood slowly and then turned to go right back into the building.

"Buffy!" Spike stood, holding his head "You can't go back in there alone. I won't let –"

"You really think you can stop me?" She asked, softly "Besides, I'm not alone. I've got Wesley and Gunn. Who I need to go help"

He grabbed her hand as she tried to leave "I love you"

She smiled, kissed him on the forehead and said "Get back to a safe distance. That's an order"

Then she was gone again. The Slayer ran into the front entrance of Wolfram and Hart and was immediately surrounded by three Kraals. She sighed. _Not good_. Buffy pulled the bomb out of her pocket and her thumb hovered over the manual detonation switch.

The Kraal's growled and circled her. She had no doubt that they were about to all jump her and that she would die.

* * *

Spike was half way back across the street when he turned back. It was a mistake. He could see through the cracked glass doors of the Wolfram and Hart building. He could see Buffy surrounded and he saw the demons all jump her at once. 

Without a second thought he turned back and ran to assist her. Angel yelled out to him and ran after him.

* * *

Buffy was hit from all sides, but as she went down she flipped the switch on the bomb.

* * *

Spike was still running as fast as he could towards the building with Angel close behind when the bomb went off. Everything turned slow-motion, literally, as the waves of magic radiated from it. His legs were suspended in mid-air in their running position, his hands reaching towards the doors.

Angel was frozen in the same rigor mortis type sensation behind him.

A bright white light shot out of the building and hit them both. It was not unlike the beams of light that had come from the necklace Spike had worn back in Sunnydale the day in which he had died.

A split-second passed and the two vampires were suddenly blown away, hurtling backwards at an incredible speed.

* * *

Buffy took a breath and sighed. The Kraals were gone. Or at least they had...well, shattered, in front of her. She sat up slowly and looked around at the piles of what looked like broken glass. Except it was green and had once been demons. 

She stood and worked the cricks out of her neck and shoulders. Her ankle hurt like a bitch as well. Buffy smiled. It was over.

She turned to the doors and stopped. In the middle of the road she could see Oz, Nina, Illyria, Harmony and Dawn all gathered around staring at something. Buffy frowned.

The Slayer started walking out of the doors. Dawn turned back and looked at her. The look on the girl's face made Buffy burst into a run.

Her heart hammered in her chest. Her legs felt like they were carrying her too slowly. The pain in her ankle and everywhere else was forgotten. _Oh, god, oh god...don't let it be...no...don't let it be..._

She finally made it to where they were all standing and she shoved Harmony and Oz out of the way. Buffy ground to a halt, eyes wide and mouth open in shock.

_No._

_NO!_

Spike and Angel lay in the road next to each other. Both were eerily still with their eyes shut and their long leather coats spread out beneath them.

She collapsed to her knees in between them. She'd killed them and it was all her –

_Wait._ _No._ They were still in one piece. They weren't...

Buffy looked around and saw that underneath and all around the vampires were what looked like pieces of broken glass. Yet she knew that they weren't. They were the demons that had resided within them.

Shakily, still not sure why she had the inclination to do so Buffy reached out both of her hands. One towards each of the men's necks. She pressed her fingers to their throats. After a moment she drew back, hands going to her mouth in disbelief.

It was Dawn who spoke "Buffy? What...? What is it?"

"It..." She turned slowly towards the group, her face blank and her emotions numbed "...they...they have pulses. They're...oh my God, they're alive..."

**The End **

**A/N: What do you think? Feel like pummeling me about the head? There's a chance there might be a sequel for this one day if people wish so. One day. Hehe. **


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